


Warning Signs

by AwakeAndAliveSpartan



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Hellfire! Ward, S1 Parallel, Super Soldier AU, Ward isn't Hydra
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2018-12-17 14:16:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 37
Words: 57,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11853315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwakeAndAliveSpartan/pseuds/AwakeAndAliveSpartan
Summary: Grant's hardly had anyone to trust, not since his time as a human experiment fifteen years ago. So being on a team was the last thing on his mind. He didn't want to trust these people.Not until a girl named Skye entered the picture.





	1. Lit the Flame and Let them Burn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning...

(Fifteen Years Ago, 1998)

Grant Ward looked up as the sound of gunshots rang out from somewhere outside of his room/cell. He cocked his head, trying to figure out just what could be causing the commotion. His heart skipped a few beats as he realized that there actually could be someone trying to _save_ him. After all this time, someone had finally come for him?

It had been far too long since he had last been outside the grounds of the facility. He had only been five years old when the armed men kidnapped him and had brought him here. For ten years, he had endured various experiments that had, in the end, turned him into a powered super-soldier.

He still didn’t know who the group really was, only various names of the scientists and the so-called ‘caretakers’. The group acted under the name ‘Horizon’, but Grant knew that it was only a cover and there was something much more to these, well, torturers. He didn’t know what they wanted by turning him into what he was now, but he knew that the overall goal was bad news. And maybe today was the day that this group finally fell.

Several more gunshots rang out before everything fell quiet. Grant stared at his door with baited breath for what seemed like an eternity before he could hear it unlock and it swung wide open. He scooted back across his bed when two armed men slowly walked in, but they soon parted to reveal a suit-wearing man that seemed to be about thirty being followed by another armed man.

“Grant Douglas Ward. Fifteen years old. Subject name, Hellfire.” the man in the suit said, taking a file from the guard that had followed him in here. “The only survivor of the ‘Genesis’ project conducted by Horizon.” He stopped and looked up at Grant with a small, yet genuine, smile. No one had smiled at him like that in a long time. “This group kidnaps several kids from a young age and experiments on them for years, and we don’t find out about it until now? We should be much better than this.”

The man approached Grant and held a hand out towards him, only getting a look of fear in response.

“G-Get away from me!” Grant screamed, an eerie red light shining briefly in his eyes. “Don’t touch me!”

Frowning, the man held his hands up and backed away slightly, “I won’t hurt you, Grant. We’re not here to do that.” he replied softly. He really didn’t want to anger the teen, especially after what he had read in the boy’s file. “Believe it or not, we’re here to get you out of here. You’re free now.”

Grant perked up at that, but chose to remain silent.

_“Of course he won’t trust me that easily. He’s been abused by these guys for a decade. He won’t be able to trust anyone for a long time. He’d be a great asset for us, but there’s no way that he’s mentally stable. According to his file, he’s got serious issues, but it didn’t care to explain other than some massive rage problem. He’ll be in therapy for years once we get him to a proper base.”_

The man smiled again, “Grant, I’m Agent Phil Coulson with SHIELD. We’re the good guys here.” he stated slowly. “We’re tearing down this place right this moment. All that’s left is to get you out of here.”

“S-SHIELD?” Grant stammered, eying Coulson warily. “Who’s that?”

“Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division. Basically, we’re a sect of the government.”

“Why would I go with the government? Wouldn’t you just experiment on me some more?”

Coulson frowned, “No, we won’t. Grant,” he paused and studied the boy for a few seconds. What Horizon had done to him had really turned him into a brute. He had to be well over six feet, and he was only fifteen.

He sighed, “Basically, there’s nowhere else you could go with like how you are now. You need help. And training.” he continued quietly. “We can provide that for you. I know that you can’t go back home.”

“I don’t have a home. I never have.”

“We’ll try our best to give you one, okay?” Coulson asked softly, approaching the boy once more. He gently held his hand out to him, “We got a deal?”

Grant looked away for a while before looked back to the man, “Does that mean I get to be a secret agent?” he asked, slight amusement seeping into his voice. He really wasn’t able to show much emotion these days.

“If everything goes right.”

Grant shakily took Coulson’s hand without another word.

Coulson smiled again, “Great. We’re getting you out of this hell.”

 

* * *

 

 

(Current Time, 2013)

“Coulson, are you sure that he’s ready for this?”

Coulson looked up as he saw May standing in front of his new desk, “Well, he’s been with us for fifteen years, May, it’s about time he learns how to work with a team.” he stated, looking down at a file that laid on his desk. “And it’s only going to be us and two other people. It shouldn’t be too much for him to handle.”

“And what if he can’t?”

“Then we’ll take him off of this team, plain and simple. Really, the only reason to why he’s here is because I’m his SO and I was asked to lead this team. I wouldn’t make him any other way.” Coulson explained, opening the file and skimming it. He’s thirty years old and a level seven agent, he’s got to learn how to work with others eventually.”

“Coulson, this isn’t about his propensity to work alone, it’s about his mental issues.” May stated firmly, crossing her arms. “He may be talented and intelligent, but he’s never been quite right in the head because of what Horizon did to him. You know he emotionally can’t handle stressful situations. What happens if he breaks down and loses control of his powers? Again?”

“And I assure you that it won’t happen. Yes, his last psych eval wasn’t quite up to par, but that’s normal for him. Hopefully, this’ll loosen a few things up for him.” Coulson sighed and closed the file. “Grant’s powerful. He’s our best asset. I’d like to use him in every way possible. I’m sure that he’ll be okay.” He stood up and faced May again, “You can chew me out if I do happen to be wrong.”

“He’s not going to have that damn dog on this plane, is he?”

“That dog’s a vital part of Grant’s day to day life, May.” he answered, beginning to walk past her. “I can’t tell him to leave him behind. I assure you that everything’s going to be fine.”

Coulson left the room and headed into the galley of the plane, finding Grant sitting quietly on the couch, staring off into space. “Grant, everything’s accounted for. So all we have to do is go get your stuff and your dog, and we should be good to go for you. We’ll just have to wait for the two scientists that will be joining us.”

He frowned as he sensed Grant’s discomfort. Grant tended not to talk very much these days, even to Coulson himself. So Coulson had to learn to read Grant’s body language to communicate with him.

“You’ll be fine, Grant. These people won’t even know of what you are. And they won’t hurt you.” Coulson stated, taking another step towards Grant as the man stood to his feet. “They’re great people, they’d never think about hurting you.”

Grant looked away, trying to avoid Coulson’s gaze. He was honestly terrified. He hated new people and he really didn’t want to be on a team. Being solo was his thing, he didn’t know why Coulson was going through all of this trouble. He’d rather be sent on a solo op somewhere, not some team operation.

Coulson placed a hand on Grant’s shoulder, “Again, I’m sure that you’ll be perfectly fine here, Grant. Hell, maybe you’ll end up making a friend or two. God knows that you need it.” he stated. “You still get your chance to be a hero, you just have to learn how to work with others.

Making friends will do you good. You’re not that far gone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the first chapter isn't much, but give it a chance. The backstory will be explained over the course of the story in the form of flashbacks. Skye'll come in soon, since this is following the storyline of s1 minus the betrayal. (Hint: 'Horizon' really isn't named Horizon.) Please leave a comment or a kudos!


	2. Divided, Let the Light Seep In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team is brought together.

(The Next Day)

Agents Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons looked up as they heard a car pull up outside the hangar door. The driver’s side door opened and Coulson stepped out, casting an approving glance towards the Bus, presumably towards the vintage Corvette in the hangar. The two scientists watched as the older man walked around the car and slowly approached the passenger’s seat.

Coulson opened the door and a huge, black dog suddenly jumped out, quickly stopping and sitting a few feet away. Fitz and Simmons looked at one another, no one told them that a dog would be on the plane. They looked back to see another man getting out of the car, holding a duffel bag close to his chest. Coulson started to lead the man into the hangar, the dog following them along.

The two scientists frowned as the man, who had to be well over six feet in height and bulky with muscle, looked over to them with a haunted look in his eyes before quickly fleeing up the stairs with the dog in tow. Coulson shook his head and headed into the lab where the two scientists were.

“You know, I was hoping he’d at least say hello or something, not immediately heading upstairs so he can be by himself.” he stated as he turned to look at Fitz and Simmons. “I really shouldn’t hope for much with him.”

Fitz motioned with his thumb towards the upper-half of the plane, “I assume that was Agent Ward?” he asked. “Why’s he so afraid of us?”

“It’s, uh, complicated.” Coulson answered with a sigh. “I should’ve explained it to you two before this. Ward’s our resident specialist, but he’s got a few, well, _people problems._ This is his first time being on a team, he’s normally solo.”

“What’s with that dog?” Simmons asked, referring to the German shepherd that had been on Grant’s heels. “No one said anything about a dog.”

“That’s Max. Ward’s service dog. He won’t be a problem.”

“ _Service_ dog?” she asked, frowning. “So we have a specialist on this plane that has mental issues? I thought agents who didn’t pass their psych evals were discharged?”

Coulson shook his head, “Ward’s skills vastly outweigh his issues.” he stated. “So we keep him on as long as he doesn’t get too much to handle. Like I said, it’s complicated. As long as he’s comfortable, he should be fine.”

Simmons looked towards Fitz before looking back to Coulson, “He’s not going to flip out on us and try to hurt us, is he? I’ve heard of traumatized agents doing that before.”

“No, no, no.” Coulson answered, shaking his head again. “He’s not like that. His biggest issue is that he’s emotionally repressed. He doesn’t show much emotion other than fear and anger. To keep it plain and simple, he had a bad childhood. I’m not going into it for his sake. Just treat him kindly and show that he can trust you. Once he knows he can trust you, he shouldn’t be that bad.”

“You sure?” Fitz asked, crossing his arms. “I’ve heard about Ward before. They say he’s the best since Romanoff and that he’s crazy strong.”

“It’ll be okay.” Coulson turned to leave, “Now, if you will excuse me, I’ll go make sure things are okay for takeoff. All the vehicles, including Ward’s motorcycle and my car, are in here and secured, it looks like. I’ll check things off with May and then we should be good to go.”

Coulson left without another word, heading upstairs and immediately being pulled aside by Grant.

“You didn’t say that _she_ would be here.”

“What?” Coulson frowned and turned to face the man. “What are you talking about, Grant?”

Grant pointed towards the cockpit, “Her. She scares me.” he stated. “Why’s she here?”

“May’s just the pilot. She won’t mess with you. And remember, she’s one of the only people that knows about you, so she knows how to deal with you.” the older man explained. “And Fitzsimmons won’t bother you either.”

“F-Fitzsimmons? But there were two people.”

“Fitz is the guy you saw. He’s the engineer. Simmons is the biochemist. They wouldn’t hurt a fly.” Coulson continued. He sighed and placed a gentle hand on Grant’s shoulder, “Grant, son, you’ll be fine. No one will hurt you here. Just pretend that this is one, big mission. You like missions. They’re just your fellow agents, there’s no reason to fear them. You can trust them, I promise you that.”

Grant looked to the side, remaining silent as he started to play with his tie.

“I picked this team out for a reason. I trust the three of them, and my word should be enough, right? No one will hurt you here. I know that it’ll take you some time for you to warm up to them, but I’m sure that you can do it.” He smiled and moved his hand from Grant’s shoulder, “Now get ready, wheel’s up as soon as May gives the all clear. We’ll probably have our first mission soon.”

Grant was left standing there with Max as Coulson walked off. Fear grew cold and heavy in his gut as he wasn’t sure of what to do. He didn’t like this team thing. He’d rather be sent on a long term solo op somewhere than this. He had no reason to trust these people. And who’s to say that they wouldn’t hurt him the first time he showed his true colors?

He just wanted to erase himself from this place.

This wasn’t his place to be.

 

 

(Sometime Later)

“Now, be gentle when we find them, Grant.” Coulson stated as he pulled up to an alleyway. “We don’t want to ruff them up before we even get back to the Bus.”

Grant mumbled underneath his breath as they got out of the SUV and headed into the alleyway, heading towards the source of the signal. He hated missions like this, only because he knew that he’d be the one to interrogate the hacker. Even though he had a crippling fear of strangers, he could pull himself together long enough for an interrogation. But it would leave him feeling tired and drained for hours afterwards. There was apparently something about him that made him an ideal interrogator, much to his distaste.

He and Coulson stopped right outside an older-looking van. Someone could be heard talking from the inside of the van, and it sounded like a woman to Grant. He sighed and looked towards Coulson, waiting for the signal to pull open the door and take the woman out of it and into their custody.

Well, he had to admit that whoever this woman was had to be good. She had hacked their RSA implementation from a _van_ of all things. He knew that it had to take some serious skill to crack SHIELD coding.  

Coulson nodded to give him the go ahead and Grant threw open the door, careful not to pull it off of its hinges with his brute strength. He paused slightly as his eyes met the woman’s as she looked up in embarrassment at them.

“Hey, what up?” she asked sheepishly before Grant collected himself and threw the bag he held over her head so they could take her back to the Bus.

Grant took a breath and carefully pulled her out of the van, Coulson shutting the door behind them.

“Now, let’s get her back so we can find out where this guy is.” Coulson stated, helping Grant to quickly usher the young woman back to the SUV. “And make sure to do this as cleanly as possible. Don’t want any muck-ups now.”

Grant mumbled a few things under his breath once more as they got the woman into the back of the SUV, then quickly climbing in and driving off.

Something didn’t sit right in his chest about the woman. Grant didn’t know what it was, but something seemed _different_ about her. He’d never had this feeling before, but he tried his best to shake it off and ignore it.

But a part of him wished to know what this feeling was.

It was all so new to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we've got Skye in the mix now. How will Grant react to interrogating her this time around? (And I appreciate all of the reception with this! I didn't expect it!) Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	3. It's Coursing through My Veins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant and Coulson try to interrogate Skye.

Grant looked down at the woman with a look of disproval, trying his best to make himself appear tougher than he currently felt. He was a superhuman for God’s sake, he shouldn’t be afraid of someone so much smaller than him. And it especially didn’t help that Coulson was wanting him to interrogate her. He was used to hardened criminals, not some renegade hacker.

All they needed to get out of her was information about Mike Peterson, nothing more and nothing less. So Grant assumed that it wouldn’t be all that hard, but why did he feel so powerless? Right now, he just wanted Coulson do all of the questioning for him.

“Sorry for the lack of finesse. Agent Ward here has a little history with your group, the Rising Tide.” Coulson stated, casting a brief glance towards Grant before looking back to the woman.  

“I-I don’t know what you’re-“

“Okay,” Grant cut in, taking a sharp breath to steady himself. “There are two ways we can do this.”

The woman smirked and raised an eyebrow, “Oh, is one of them the easy way?” she teased.

Grant’s face went stone cold, “No.”

“Oh.”

Coulson sighed and decided to step in, “What’s your name?” he asked calmly, hoping that Grant would be able to keep him composure long enough for the interrogation.

The woman’s face fell, “Skye.”

“What’s your real name?” Grant asked coldly. At least his emotionless state had started to kick in.

“It can wait. There’s another name we need. A certain hero.” Coulson stated, knowing that it would be better if he himself took over most of the questioning. Grant was better suited for dealing with criminals.

The woman shifted uncomfortably in her seat, a telltale sign that she knew something, “What makes you think I know that?” she asked, lying through her teeth.

“Well, you made a little mistake.” Coulson teased, sitting down and reaching for a file at the interrogation table. “The phone you filmed the hooded hero on had the same cryptographic signature as a few of the Rising Tide posts.” He slammed the folder down in front of Skye.

“Wow, yeah… Was that a mistake or am I now sitting in the middle of your secret headquarters?” she asked, looking around the black-colored room. “What is this, a plane?” she questioned as Grant rolled his eyes and looked towards Coulson. “I got inside and by now you’ve discovered you can’t beat the encryption of my equipment. So you’ve got nothing.”

“We have a very strong coincidence.” Coulson bluffed. “You being on the scene right before it went up in flames?” he tossed another folder at her. “Wanna tell me what my team is going to find there? How did you know that the hooded man was in the building?”

“Did you blow it up to draw him out?” Grant asked, butting in and trying his best to at least ask something.

“Did you?” Skye snarked back as she looked up to see him looming over her.

“That’s not our style.” Coulson added in with a smile.

“I was just kidnapped by your ‘style’.” Skye argued. “SHIELD covered up New Mexico. Project Pegasus. Of course you’d be covering up Centipede.”

Coulson looked up towards Grant for an answer, never hearing of the name. Grant turned sheepishly to the side, scratching his ear as he mouthed ‘What’s Centipede?’ back towards the older man.

Skye looked back at Grant and laughed, “Oh, I knew it, you don’t know what that is.” she stated. “Billions of dollars of equipment at your disposal and I beat you with a laptop that I won in a bet?”

“You need to think about your friend, we’re not the only ones interested in people with powers.” Coulson stated, causing Grant to shift uncomfortably where he stood. He always hated being reminded that there was people out there that would love to have him. “And this isn’t our first rodeo with powered people, I assure you that. So I’d like to contain him now. The next guy would want to exploit him and the guy after that would want to dissect him.”

Grant felt the panic starting to seep in as he was reminded of his past, but he took a deep breath to steady himself once more. He leaned down and glared at Skye, “What is Centipede?” he asked harshly before sitting down.

Skye stood up and began to walk around, “Centipede. There was chatter on the web and then it was gone. I traced the access point MAC address to that building.”

“What were you after?”

“The truth. What are _you_ after?”

“World peace.” Grant clenched his teeth and stood up. “You pseudo-anarchist hacker types loved to stir things up, but you’re never around for the fallout. People keep secrets for a reason, _Skye._ ” That was his best way of referencing himself. Only a few people outside of Coulson and May knew about who he really was. Keeping secrets was the only thing keeping him alive.

Skye looked at him like she was offended, “Well, just because you’re reasonable and,” she poked him in the chest, not noticing the well-defined flinch to Grant’s body and the way his breathing started to grow shallow. “Firm. Doesn’t mean that you’re not an evil, faceless government toolbag” She frowned as he backed up, staring at her with a wild light in his eyes.

“J-just give us the guy’s name.” he stammered, trying to keep himself together. No one was supposed to touch him. Even the scientists who did his check-ups from time to time were supposed to be careful with him.

“He’s not my guy!” Skye exclaimed, her voice louder than she wanted it to be.

“You understand that he’s in danger, right?” Coulson asked, trying to break the two apart before Grant lost control of himself. He knew something was off. Grant normally didn’t freak out during interrogations like this. But he knew that the girl’s touch had rubbed at old scars.

“Then let me go!” Skye protested. “Let _me_ talk to him, not the T-1000 here.” She motioned towards the currently-panicking Grant. “And is he okay?”

“He’s got an issue with people touching him.” Coulson responded calmly, trying not to make a big deal out of it. “He’ll be fine in a few. Just leave him be.”

Skye’s face fell and she looked back towards Grant, “Sorry.” her voice was shallow and low, knowing that she had made another mistake in their book. “I didn’t mean,”

Grant shook his head, motioning for her to stop. He just stared at her with a haunted look in his eyes, not saying anything else.

Coulson nodded and rose to his feet, “It’s an easy mistake to make.” he looked towards Grant before heading towards the door, “Ward.”

Grant was quick to flee the room, following behind his SO as the door closed, “Sir?” he asked, his voice a mere croak.

“You okay? Is the girl getting under your skin?” Coulson asked as they walked away from the Cage, leaving Skye inside. “Or is it the assignment? I know the dealing with other powered people isn’t your strong suit, but you weren’t doing so hot in there. And you’re normally pretty good while in interrogations.”

“J-Just give me a minute alone with her and you’ll have your answers.” Grant stammered, panic lacing his voice.

“We both know that that isn’t an option in this case. I don’t want you spiraling.” Coulson stated, stopping and turning around to look at Grant. “And she’s an asset.”

“She is such an a…” Grant paused and frowned. “Wait, _asset_?”

“We don’t know anything about her yet. Don’t you appreciate when that happens. That never happens. In fact, _you_ were the last time that happened. We took you in knowing nothing about you other than what was in that file we stole from Horizon. It was a big risk, but I’m glad we took it.” Coulson explained, giving Grant a caring smile. “We need to take a risk with her, because we need what she knows. So we need her willing enough to work with us.

So we’ll try again, make her trust us.” Coulson stated. He took a breath and looked Grant in the eyes, “You’re usually pretty good at doing that. I won’t make you do this, but it’d would be a huge favor sure enough.”

“You’re wanting me to talk to her again?”

Coulson nodded, “I’ll be outside in case something happens. I know for a fact that she wouldn’t try to hurt you. Be honest and reasonable with her. We don’t have many other options in this case.” he answered. “You’re good with this kind of stuff. Just treat it like any other mission. Get her to cooperate and we’re good to go. Can I trust you with this?”

Grant looked to the side for a while, mulling over his options. He didn’t like the idea, but he didn’t want to disappoint Coulson either. So he was a little more willing here to try and talk to the girl again. As long as she didn’t try to touch him one more time.

He nodded, “Y-Yeah.” he stammered, running his hands through his hair. “I can do it.”

“You sure? I’m not forcing you to do this, you know.”

“I’ll be fine.” Grant started to nod his head repeatedly to address his point. “I don’t think she could hurt me.”

Coulson smiled, “Good. Go ahead and work your magic.”

“Y-Yes, sir. But can Max come with me this time?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I tried to stick with canon here, mixing in the AU elements as I went along (IE Grant freaking out from Skye's touch). I won't do the truth serum here since Coulson suddenly sticking Grant with a needle isn't a good idea in this story. But let's just say his anxiety and his blooming feelings towards Skye has the same effect. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	4. Just Another Cut in the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye 'interrogates' Grant.

Skye looked up as the door swung open, seeing Grant and Coulson come back into the room. She frowned as a large dog came into view, trotting behind Grant as Coulson motioned for the agent to sit down. She decided not to say anything at the moment; she knew that it was best not to after Grant’s near panic attack from earlier.

Coulson nodded once Grant had himself situated, “Now, we want you to trust us, Miss Skye.” he stated calmly. “You can ask Agent Ward here whatever you’d like. I’m sure that he’ll answer. He tends to let things slip when he’s nervous.”

Grant shot a fiery glare at Coulson, but remained silent. He reached down towards where Max laid on the floor beside his feet. Max noticed Grant’s hand and sat up to allow him to make contact with his fur. Making Grant comfortable was what Max was trained for.

“I’ll come back in a few to see how things are going.” Coulson left the room before Grant could protest. The older agent knew that it was best to make Grant do things in some cases. And it wasn’t like Grant would expose any of their big secrets. The most he would do would end up making himself appear less threatening to Skye, and in return getting Skye to trust the more. People usually ended up trusting Grant more once they saw that he was really just a well-meaning klutz instead of the cold-hearted robot he appeared to be.

“Ah.” A lump formed in Grant’s throat and he turned to look back at Skye. His eyes widened as he saw her taking off her jacket. They widened even more and his mouth grew dry once she leaned forward, obviously trying to flaunt her cleavage to win him over.

“You seem nervous, Agent Ward.”

Grant straightened up and forced himself to look at Skye’s face, “I-I’m calling to mind my training.” he stammered, watching as she got up. “There’s no way that I would reveal classified secrets to a girl that’s hell-bent on taking up down.” He froze as Skye was suddenly next to him and was beginning to lean in towards him.

“Have you ever killed anyone?”

“A f-few?” Grant clamped his mouth shut, not meaning to say that. “They were high-risk targets. But they… They were terrible people who were trying to murder nice people. And I didn’t feel good afterwards.”

Skye looked at him with a bewildered expression. How was this man a SHIELD agent? He seemed like a nervous boy. But this could work to her advantage.

“And does your grandmother know about these things?”

Grant’s face fell and he looked towards Skye with a pained expression, “I don’t know her.” he stated emotionlessly. He looked away, “I don’t remember my family.”

Skye’s stomach dropped and she stepped back, holding her hands up, “I didn’t mean to hit a sore spot with you.” she began. “I,”

“Don’t worry. Not your fault.” he mumbled, looking down towards Max. He began to grow quiet and closed off, much to Skye’s surprise.

She really didn’t want to know what was wrong with the man. But she knew that it must’ve been a lot to turn a brute into a closed-off, timid boy. Even still, it wasn’t her place to ask. She actually felt a certain connection with him since he said he didn’t remember his family. She didn’t know who her parents were and neither did he.

But again, it wasn’t her place to pry.

“That’s, um, a really nice dog you got there.” she stated, pointing towards the black dog that had materialized next to Grant. Really, she was hoping to clear this awkward situation up by making him talk again.

Grant’s head perked up and he casted a quick glance over towards her before looking back down at the shepherd. He ran a hand over the dog’s head, “He’s Max. He helps me with things.” he stated matter-of-factly. “He won’t bother you.”

Honestly, Grant kind of liked this girl. At least she knew her place and didn’t pry where it hurt. He respected that, he really did. But he still liked it best when she was quiet. He liked it best when everyone was quiet. The quieter it was, the better.

Loud noise reminded him of the labs back at the facility. They were always busy and filled with people; there was always so much noise that his ears always were ringing. He could deal with explosions and gunfire, but loud chatter was a no go. Even though he had gotten better with dealing with it lately.

He nodded and looked back at Skye, “Go out that door and find Coulson.” he stated, his emotionless state starting to kick back in again. He stood to his feet and allowed Max to move, “There’s really nothing that I can do here to get you to trust me, okay? Right now, all we need is information on that guy. Coulson’s the one that wants it, not me.” He sighed and began to leave the room, “I hate this team thing.” he mumbled, opening the door. “Coulson should’ve left me alone with my bombs.”

He left Skye standing in the Cage and immediately headed towards his bunk. Coulson acknowledged his presence from where he was standing at the Holocom, but decided to remain quiet. It was best that Grant got his alone time before the jumped into a mission. He needed Grant to be at his best when they went into the field. Grant not being at his best meant him possibly losing control of his powers, and that was something that they didn’t need. Especially when no one else was supposed to know of what Grant was capable of.

Grant quickly slipped into his bunk and crawled into his bed, Max jumping beside him. He held up an arm to allow the shepherd to lay right next to him, “Remind me to put your vest on later.” he whispered, stroking the dog’s back. “That way, no one will ask questions about you. We’ll be on a mission later, so you’ll have to stay here, okay? You’ll be fine. I won’t be gone long.”

Max let out a huff as though he was giving Grant a response. Honestly, Max was the only being that Grant truly talked to. Grant would talk hours on end to the dog if he could. He liked the fact that Max couldn’t say anything back. The dog was better than Grant’s therapist.

Grant took a shaky breath and tried to close his eyes, feeling the all too familiar burn of his flames right underneath his skin. He needed to douse them now before they all got out in the field. He really didn’t want to end up hurting anyone just because he couldn’t control himself. Hopefully there was enough time until they headed out for him to rest and get himself under control.

And then there was the matter of Skye. Grant didn’t like the idea of a hacker with no field experience joining them. Hell, she hadn’t even gone to the Academy. A part of Grant felt as though she was a liability, that she would only get them into trouble. But another part of him wanted to trust her and see where things went.

There was something about her that pulled Grant towards her, but he really wasn’t sure of what it was. He was still not used to dealing with people on a personal level, so he didn’t know where his feelings stood. Hell, he didn’t even know what they mean most of the time.

He just hoped that he could trust her.

Trust was all he wanted these days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant for this to be so much longer, but I have to wrap this chapter up here since my bad knee is currently killing me. But I hope I did this chapter justice. (Don't you just want to take Grant and give him a big hug?) Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	5. It's Like a Heavenly Smile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye and Grant share a moment after dealing with Mike Peterson.

(Sometime Later)

Skye quietly approached the couch in the galley, seeing Grant laid out on it, his dog right in his lap. She took a breath before speaking up, hoping that she wouldn’t spook him, “Hey, you okay?” she asked. “You really took a beating back there.”

Grant’s head shot up and his eyes darted over to her, something akin to relief settling into his eyes. Honestly, he was glad that it was her, he really didn’t feel like talking to anyone else. His head and majority of his body still hurt from the fight Peterson had put up. He was glad that he was basically a super soldier, a normal human would’ve been severally injured by a fight like that. At the most, Grant had some scrapes and bruises.

He waived a dismissive hand and placed it on top of Max’s head, “I’m okay.” he mumbled, leaning his head back and staring at the ceiling. “Sore.”

She nodded slightly and took a seat in the chair opposite of the couch, “You’re a man of few words, aren’t you?” she questioned, hoping that he would take it as a joke. “You don’t say much.”

“Don’t have to.”

“You know, you were on fire back there.”

Grant suddenly shot up, causing Max to jump off of him and scamper to the side, “Huh?” he asked. He hadn’t shown his powers, had he? He didn’t think he had. “On fire?”

Skye raised an eyebrow, watching as Max trotted back over to Grant to check on him, “You’ve never heard that expression before?” She laughed slightly and shook her head, “You were really kicking ass back there. That’s what I meant. Good thing you took Mike down when you did, things could’ve got a whole lot worse.”

“Oh.” Grant scratched the back of his head, embarrassed that he had misunderstood what Skye had said. Of course he really hadn’t been on fire, he would’ve known if he had been. “Yeah. I guess.”

“So what are they going to do with him?” Skye questioned, leaning back in the chair. “Mike’s a good man, he just got himself involved with the wrong people. He doesn’t deserve to be locked up or anything like that.”

Grant shrugged and laid back down, kind of hoping that Skye would leave him alone soon. Even though he kind of liked her, she was starting to talk too much and that was something that he really didn’t like.

“Don’t know. Probably to a facility where that serum will be tested. Maybe they’ll train him. Don’t know.” He looked over at her, “But he’ll be fine, if that’s what you’re worried about. He won’t be hurt.”

Skye smiled, “That’s good. Hopefully he’ll be able to be with his son again someday.” she stated, nodding her head. “Those people took advantage of Mike and turned him into something he wasn’t. Hopefully things will be okay with him soon.”

 _“Tell me about it.”_ Grant thought, looking back up at the ceiling without another word. _“Isn’t that what happened with me? But to a greater extent? Some evil sons of bitches kidnap a bunch of kids and turn them into monsters. And I’m the only one to survive. No one but Coulson really understands why I’m the way I am. And I hope Skye never sees that side of me. I want her to stay. I think I can trust her.”_

“Uh,” Skye frowned as she realized that Grant had zoned out. She decided that it was best not to say anything to disturb him, especially after what Coulson had told her about him.

According to the older man, Grant had several mental issues stemming from multiple childhood traumas. Grant was okay most of the time as long as no one bothered him or did anything he dislikes. Skye didn’t see how a man like that was a government agent, but she wasn’t going to question it. Grant was apparently one of SHIELD’s best agents and couldn’t be deterred from doing his job. He loved being an agent, as long as he could work solo.

So why was he placed on a team of all things?

“You okay?” Skye spoke up softly, deciding that was the best route of action to take.

Grant looked back towards her, a slight blush on his cheeks, “Huh?” he sat up and rubbed at the back of his head again. “Yeah. I’m fine. Just thinking.”

“You want me to go for a little while?” she asked, standing to her feet. She pointed towards the stairway, “I can go see what Fitzsimmons are doing.”

He shrugged, “Doesn’t matter. You can stay if you want. Doesn’t mean I’ll be awake the entire time.” He closed his eyes and threaded his fingers through the fur on Max’s neck, “Tired.”

Skye smiled slightly and nodded, “I guess I’ll let you sleep then. You did fight like hell out there.” Grant didn’t respond and she turned, taking that as her cue to go. She went to walk away but she paused, “Oh, and, Ward? You were amazing out there.”

She looked briefly back towards him and she could’ve sworn that he was blushing again. She blushed slightly herself and walked off, leaving Grant be. For a brute of a secret agent that supposedly has emotional issues, Grant really seemed to be a softy at heart. It just seemed as though he had no idea of how to express himself at all. But maybe that could change.

As Skye walked towards the lab, Coulson watched with an approving smile from the Holocom room, May standing right beside him.

“You know, he seems to be hitting it off with her really fast.” he commented. “He’s never done anyone like that. And she’s been here like only a day and a half? Maybe not even that. I’ve lost track of time with everything that’s happened.”

“It’s been a day.”

“But still, Grant’s never been towards anyone like this. I’m probably the only one he warmed up to fairly quickly, but not like this.” Coulson continued, crossing his arms. “But I’m glad it’s happening. I know it won’t cure his emotional problem since it’s mostly a problem Horizon physically caused, but maybe it’ll let him loosen up a bit. I don’t know.”

May sighed, “I don’t know if you’re able to see it, but I do.” she began. “But he clearly likes her. The reason why he’s so nervous around her isn’t because he’s scared of her. He’s flustered. He’s like a middle schooler around their crush. And he doesn’t know how to handle it because he can’t feel much emotion. It’ll probably only get worse from here on out.”

“You’re saying he’s head over heels for her?” Coulson asked, a dumbfounded look on his face. “He’s never showed much interest in anyone else. Why now?”

May shrugged, “I don’t know how that man’s brain works, Coulson.” she stated. “But it’s clear that he likes her. This is the first time I’ve ever seen him blush around anyone.”

“Then maybe it was a good idea to keep her on as a consultant.” Coulson looked at the now-sleeping Grant. “In addition to her hacking skills, if she can help break Grant out of his shell, then it’ll be worth it. Now I’m not saying her and this team will cure him, it won’t. He’ll have problems for the rest of his life. I just hope this helps him learn that he can trust certain people and that he doesn’t have to hate and fear everyone.

If Skye’s the first step, then I’ll take it.” he continued. “I just want to see him happy, May. I’ve known him for fifteen years and I’ve rarely seen him even smile. He’s like a robot most of the time. Even Skye’s picked up on that already.

I know Grant has a heart in there somewhere. Guess that the right person just has to get through to it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I skipped the fight with Mike, but I'd rather stick to the more personal moments for a while until the big turn. (Try to guess what episode that takes place in.) So the next chapter will be solely focused around Skye and Grant in the end of 084 and their talk there. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	6. I Can be Your Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant begins to realize things after Reyes' attack.

(Several Days Later)

A small smirk pulled at Skye’s lips as she approached the galley, seeing Grant on the couch reading a book. Max laid fast asleep beside him, his head in his owner’s lap. “Hunger Games?” she asked, getting his attention.

Grant looked up with a start, but he soon settled back down as he realized that it was Skye and not anyone else. He shook his head, “No, Matterhorn. Some of the higher-ups that like me sometimes give me books and such. I’ve got a lot of them and I’m finally getting around to it.” he explain shakily, eying the soldiers that surrounded him. He didn’t trust Reyes and her men one bit and every nerve in his body was screaming for him to act. But he had to wait, not yet.

Skye nodded with strange light in her eyes, “I feel like you and me-- wrong foot.” she stated. “Can I… Buy you a drink?” She held up a bottle of alcohol and slightly shook it with a smile.

With a raised eyebrow, Grant chuckled softly and managed the smallest of smiles towards her, motioning for her to sit down. Now, the smile wasn’t much, but it was still a start since he hardly ever smiled. But he felt safe and calm around Skye, so the reins on his emotions were loosened just a bit. 

“What I said before, when I said the Uprising was, whatever I said, a good thing…” She sat down on the table in front of Grant and placed the bottle beside her, “I don’t want you to think that I’m oblivious. What I was talking about was the Tweets.” she explained as Grant just blinked and looked blankly at her. 

“Tweets?” he asked cautiously, placing his book down and running his hand down Max’s back, whom of which was still fast asleep. “You… You trying to make things better or worse?”

“Peruvians have organized for the first time in decades. Thousands of suffering people who have never met uniting over a common idea? It’s mind-blowing. And I don’t want to bring it up because I don’t want to see your hate face.” She smiled slightly and looked back towards Grant, receiving a grimace from his end. She shook her head and began to pour the drinks, “But… But that’s what the Rising Tide is all about.”

“Okay.”

“Usually, one person doesn’t have the solution. But 100 people with one percent of the solution, that’ll get it done.” She looked down as something akin to realization started to appear on Grant’s face, and she wasn’t sure of what it was, “I think that’s beautiful. Pieces solving a puzzle.”

Grant sighed and leaned forward, causing Max to wake and look up at him, “You and I see the world differently is all.” he stated quietly.   _ “And isn’t that the truth? She has no idea what I’ve been through and she probably never will. I don’t see the world like anyone else. The world’s a threat. She can’t see that. You can maybe trust a few people, but not the world.” _

Skye raised her eyebrows, “You know, I’ve never been in a war zone, during a war, until today.” she stated. “That was crazy. I take it you’ve seen that a lot?”

_ “I’ve seen far too much.”  _ He nodded with a sigh and took a swig of the drink that Skye had given him. Oh how he wished that he could get drunk. He grunted as he leaned forward to place his glass down, Skye’s eyes widening as she saw his side. 

“W-What? Did you get shot?!” she exclaimed, reaching towards the bloodied place on Grant’s left side. 

Grant leaned back as a reflex to keep her from touching it, “Uh, skin deep. Nothing to worry about.”

“But you got shot. Did that happen protecting us?”

_“It’s not the worse thing to happen to me. I’ve been cut open several times because I’m the product of a science experiment. Getting shot is nothing.”_ Grant sighed again and looked towards the ceiling, petting Max’s head for comfort, “I said don’t worry about it.” He gingerly slipped his fingers under her shirt and felt the area. _“It’s already healed. It’s not like I can explain that to her.”_

“Well, no wonder why you were so pissed.” Skye still gaped at Grant’s bloodied side.

Grant looked back at her with a stone-cold face, “I wasn’t pissed. I was trained to be the whole solution, to eliminate variables.” He looked around at the soldiers again, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. “And today, they keep adding up.”

The plane started to turn and Skye looked up with a frown, “We’re turning.” she stated. “What’s with that?”

“Restricted airspace. Have to follow certain flight paths. Regulation. Plane’s capable of fully-automatic flight, but May has to do it herself tonight.”

Grant trailed off and looked back around the room again, the heat signatures all around him flaring up. That usually meant movement, so he knew that the soldiers were about to do  _ something _ . But he didn’t want to put Skye in harm’s way. Not yet.

“You know, we just can’t seem to understand each other.” he added, trying to keep attention away from him. He looked around again, the soldiers’ heat signatures flaring once more. He frowned as he noticed two of them slightly nod to one another, “Skye, hand me the bottle.”

Skye raised an eyebrow and nodded, reaching for the bottle, “Well, okay, Turbo. But you’re still nursing the one you got. Don’t think we need you getting drunk.” she stated.

_ “Can’t get drunk anyways.”  _ Grant took the bottle from her and nodded slightly with his eyebrows raised, “I’m not the only one.” he said coldly, his combat state coming back into play. He gently nodded towards the soldiers to give her a clue.

Jumping up and pushing Max under the table, Grant shoved Skye out of the way as he lunged for a soldier, pinning his wrist to the table and slamming the bottle down onto it, slightly cracking the top of the table under his strength. He pushed the soldier to the side and slid over the table, jumping to tackle another to the ground. Now, he could feel the flames rising under the surface, but it wasn’t the time or place to use them. He had to rely on his brute strength alone. Which was more than enough in this case. 

Grant punched another to the ground and looked up to see Coulson running into the galley with a scared look on his face, looking towards a monitor behind him. Grant looked to see Fitzsimmons being held hostage in the lab, a knife to Fitz’s throat. 

His body shuddered as instinct took over and his emotions all but washed away. He couldn’t lose these people now. Not when he was beginning to trust them. 

Not now.

He looked behind him to see a soldier grab Skye and he stood down, not wanting to jump into action in case the soldier decided to hurt her. He had to wait for Coulson’s orders. Not waiting could mean a disaster on his end. Grant couldn’t let his rising anger get the best of him. 

“We were allies.” Coulson said coldly, walking towards Reyes. “We had history. When did you decide to throw that away?”

“As soon as I saw your team.”

 

* * *

 

(Later)

Grant groaned, leaning back against the safety raft that now sealed the hole in the side of the plane. He looked up to see Skye standing above him, holding a hand out to him. Taking a breath, he reached out for her, slightly shuddering as their skin made contact with one another. Even though he thought he liked Skye, he still wasn’t sure of his feelings yet, he still didn’t want physical contact with her yet. He wasn’t that comfortable just yet.

“I… I ready the safety pamphlet.” Skye huffed, falling into line next to him. She looked up as a bark sounded and Max ran from out of his hiding spot and to Grant’s feet.

A relieved look formed on Grant’s face as he saw that Max was unscathed. That’s why he was nervous about having Max on the plane with them. 

“I-I think you might be the first.” Grant stated, knowing that he wouldn’t last much longer. There was only so much action he could take until he started to shut down. He hoped that things would be wrapped up soon.

“Only way in, huh?” Coulson asked, placing a broken tumbler on the bar. “I was just starting to warm up to this place.”

“The 084 is cooling and stable.” Fitz breathed, leaning up against a column. “But we should call HQ and get it to the Slingshot. As soon as possible.”

Coulson smirked and turned to the tied-up Reyes, “I told you that they were good.”

Grant nodded and leaned up against the bar, casting a small glance, and a smile, towards Skye. Glad that she had saved his life. But he wasn’t sure of how to express that gratitude; he wasn’t used to feelings like this.

_ “I… I might like her after all.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm skipping around a lot, but it still works considering I'm doing the big Skyeward moments. So the next chapter will be the Girl in the Flower Dress and then maybe FZZT or the Well. But it all works, I think. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	7. The Fight Inside is Breaking Me Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant learns that he truly can't trust anyone.

(Several Days Later)

“So be warned, the, uh, kiddie gloves are off.”

“G7.”

Grant suppressed a groan as he realized the implications of what Skye had said, “Hit.” he muttered before moving the piece on the Battleship board. _“How is she so damn good at this?”_

“Yes! Ha!” Skye exclaimed with a fist-pump before moving her own piece. “So explain to me again what this has to do with my training.”

His face fell as he thought for a good answer, “Well, it’s, um, important for every SO to evaluate their student’s thought process.” he stated, leaning back in the chair.

“Mm-hmm.”

“And… And I like board games.” he admitted. _“Because they keep my mind clear. Probably a better form of therapy for me.”_ He looked back down to the board, “B10.”

“Nope.” Skye leaned forward, “This isn’t thinking. This is stabbing in the dark. But it’s nice to take a break from all the workouts. I’m not a machine like you. I need rest from time to time.”

Grant sheepishly scratched at the back of his head, “Well… You deserve a break. I’ve got to give Coulson credit though. I would’ve never pegged an ex-Rising Tide hacker as a good fit, but you’re…” he trailed off for a bit before continuing. “You’re picking up things pretty fast.” He leaned back, _“And I would’ve never thought I could be a SO given my condition. I didn’t know what Coulson was thinking at first when he asked me to take up the job. But maybe he does know best. I don’t know.”_

Skye’s eyes widened as she sat up in the chair, “Did… Did you just give me a compliment?” she asked in surprise, touching her chest.

“I… No? No, I made a comment.” Grant stammered, not sure of what he was feeling. “It was a comment.”

“But a kind one!” She watched as Grant rolled his eyes, “Did it physically hurt to do that? Do you need an ice pack?”

Grant’s lips pulled into a small smile and he managed a small, yet surprising, laugh.

“Wow. A compliment _and_ a smile.” Skye was genuinely impressed, considering she did know about Grant’s emotional issue via Coulson. She honestly didn’t think Grant was capable of expressing humor. Maybe his shell was starting to break.

“Comment.”

“I don’t wanna ruin the moment, but I’m gonna have to respond with G4.” Skye gloated, looking down at her game board.

Grant’s eyes shifted to his own and his face immediately fell, causing Skye to smile.

“Say it, Ward.” she pressured, eliciting a sigh from the man. “Say it.”

“You sank my battleship.” he grumbled, causing Skye to laugh in delight. He shifted his legs so he could feel Max, who was under the table, up against him.

“Yes! I beat you!”

“Ah, uh, best two out of three.”

“Best I just won out of nothing.”

Meanwhile, Coulson and May watched silently from the other side of the room, amazed that Grant was opening up so much.

“She’s fitting in nicely.” Coulson commented, looking at Grant with pride swelling in his chest.

“Gloating?”

“A little.”

“You were up early this morning.” May stated, continuing the conversation. “Heard you puttering around even before I started Tai Chi.”

“Woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep.” Coulson shrugged, still watching Grant and Skye, “Guess a lot has been on my mind lately with Grant and all. I’m still worried about him. Even though he’s really starting to open up with Skye being here and all, I still worry. I’m afraid that I made a bad decision by deciding to bring him on this plane.” He stopped and looked at May, “Do you think I made the wrong choice?”

May raised an eyebrow, “That’s up to you to decide.” she answered. “As for me? I think it’s still too early to judge. Yes, he’s doing extremely well so far, but we’ve only been on here for like two and a half weeks. There’s no telling to what could happen in the future. I guess that we’ll just have to watch and make sure.”

Coulson nodded, “I suppose you’re right. He’s gone through so much and I’m always afraid something bad will happen to him again.” he explained. “I just want things to go right for him for once. I-“

He was cut off as the alarm from the Holocom blared out, notifying them that they had a mission.

“Guess this is another chance for him to prove himself, right?” May asked before turning to leave.

Coulson sighed and remained quiet as he headed towards the Holocom. Luckily, it didn’t take long for everyone to gather, but it still gave him enough time to review the mission specs.

“Chan Ho Yin.” he announced once everyone had gathered in the small room. He looked up and saw Grant standing right between Skye and Fitz, allowing himself a small smile. “Just a struggling street performer until a few years ago, when Mr. Chan began to exhibit moderate pyrokinetic abilities.”

Of course that caught Grant’s attention, but he didn’t show his surprise. _“Someone else with powers like mine? But what does moderate mean? I’m probably several times more powerful than that.”_

“So what gave him powers?” Fitz asked, leaning against the table.

“It’s still under investigation, but Chan did live near the decommissioned Wan Tai nuclear plant when it caught fire.” Coulson answered, giving another glance towards Grant. “To our knowledge, no other nearby residents have exhibited similar traits.”

Simmons frowned, clasping her hands together, “So how did we find out about him?”

“Informant saw him lighting torches in a street show. With his pinky.” May explained, looking around the room.

 _“Child’s play.”_ Grant thought. _“I can do way more than that with my hands tied behind my back.”_

“Brought it to SHIELD’s attention. We told him to keep his abilities under wraps.” Coulson added. “He’s been on the Index ever since.”

“The Index?” Skye questioned with a frown.

Simmons decided to answer, “It’s a list that SHIELD keeps of people and objects with powers.”

“Wait, what? Are you saying there are more people,”

“Not many.” Mat cut in with the shake of her head.

“Well, enough to keep a list.”

“A short list.” Coulson stated with a sigh. “Meant to protect them.”

 _“I’m on it and I’m standing right next to you. But hopefully you’ll never find out about that.”_ Grant scratched the back of his head, “But in rare cases, SHIELD has had to take action.” he stated. _“Like they’ll do to me if I fuck up. That’s always hanging over my head.”_

“Actions against objects?” Skye asked with an annoyed frown. “Or people?” She noted everyone’s silence, “Well, that’s drastic with a side of creepy. How are they monitored? Tapped phones, satellite surveillance, body probes in dark, unpleasant places?”

“Body probes. Now that’s ridiculous.” Fitz stated with a laugh. “SHIELD doesn’t do that. We don’t do that. Do we?”

Coulson shrugged, “The methods vary. Mr. Chan was low-risk. He was assigned a case agent who checked in with him every few days. That’s how we discovered him missing.”

Grant started to zone out as May pulled up a video chat with Chan’s case agent, Agent Kwan. He didn’t like this mission already, mainly because he had to deal with someone else with fire abilities. _“I already know that Coulson wants me on this because I can’t get burned. If things go south, I’ll have to fight Chan. And I don’t want to do that. I don’t want anyone getting hurt.”_ He looked over towards Skye, _“Especially her. I’m her SO, I can’t let anything happen to her._

_But why do I feel like things are gonna go so wrong? I hate this feeling. Because it’s always right.”_

* * *

 

(Later)

Of course the feeling had to be right. Why did it have to be right? Why?

Grant was mentally beating himself up over the fact that he had started to trust Skye and then she had pulled something like _this_. He should’ve seen it coming, why had he been so blind to the possible outcomes? Now he just wanted to scream and let everything burn all around him. He zoned out as Skye tried to plead with Coulson.

“I know how this looks—“

Coulson held up a finger to silence her before she could continue, “How long have you two been in contact?” he asked, closing a folder in his hands.

“I contacted him once the day I joined to tell him that I was okay. And once earlier today.”

“When you tipped off an active suspect?”

“No, it’s not like that.” Skye protested. “Miles and I… We met when we were both a little screwed up. Well scratch that. He was a little screwed up, I was a lot. We looked after each other. That’s why I warned him, not because we’re working together on this. But because we’re friends.” She grimaced under Coulson’s cold, hard stare, “I’m really sorry.”

“Noted. If not you, then who is Mr. Lydon working with?”

“No one. He’s an idealist. He believes in freedom of information.”

“That information cost a man his freedom. And you sabotaged our attempts to remedy that.”

“No, I came here to find out what Miles knows about Chan.” Skye protested.

“And?”

“Nothing. Miles is a dead end. He’s harmless.”

Coulson began to walk away, “We’ll see.” he muttered.

“Really, I was going to try everything I could do to try to help.”  She shook her head, “I just… I felt like I couldn’t tell you guys everything.”

“I know. That’s why I asked May to follow you. Seems that wasn’t a dead end.”

Skye watched as Coulson stalked off. She turned and met Grant’s eyes as he dug through some papers mindlessly, shrinking back as she saw something unfamiliar burning in them. Grief? Hurt? Disappointment? Honestly, there was no telling. And she really didn’t want to know. She had heard of Grant’s anger problem, and she didn’t want to be on the receiving end of it.

As Coulson started to clean everything up and May drug Miles from the other room, Grant stalked up towards her, an unreadable expression on his face.

Her face fell, “Ward, I’m so sorry. I…” she trailed off as she knew that it would do no good to try to talk to him.

He grabbed her hands and forcefully slapped a pair of handcuffs on her without a word. He turned and stalked away, leaving a trail of anger as he went. Skye felt sick to her stomach and shifted her hands to move the cuffs, which were unnaturally hot against her skin.

What had she done?

 

* * *

 

(Later, The Bus.)

“Grant, son, I know that you’re in there.” Coulson called, staring at a closed storage door. “The door’s hot, that means that you’re in there.”

He sighed as he got no response, “I know you’re hurt, we all trusted her.” he continued, carefully reaching for the doorknob to ensure that it wouldn’t burn him. “But I need you on this mission. You can’t hide now. We literally need to fight fire with fire in this case. I can’t have you like this.”

Taking a breath, Coulson began to slowly open the door, “May’s interrogating Miles and Skye right now, so I’ve got a little bit of time.” he stated. He frowned as he opened the door to see Grant sitting on the floor of the closet, knees to his chest and his head down. Max laid next to him to keep him company.

“Grant, please,” he began, coming in and crouching next to him, ignoring the heat that radiated off of him. “I need you for this.”

“Go away.” Grant mumbled, hiccupping from what seemed to be a sob. “Don’t need you.”

Coulson frowned. Had he been crying? That only told him that Grant’s emotions were currently a mess and would explode if not dealt with soon. But Coulson didn’t blame him. Skye was the first person that Grant had begun to trust in a long time and she severed it. That translated to Grant that he really couldn’t trust people, not even his own rookie.

“Maybe things will get better, Grant. We’ll just have to wait and see.” Coulson sighed, “I know that it hurts, but you need to channel it elsewhere before you or someone else gets hurt. I don’t want anything happening to you. Please say something."

Grant remained silent.

Coulson bit his lip, “Grant, be honest with me.” he stated softly. “Do you like Skye? You’ve never shown any interest in anyone else before, so this is all a little new to me.”

Grant shakily brought his head up to look at him, tears streaming down his face and his eyes a fierce blood red. He numbly nodded and curled back up, his body starting to tremble.

“Grant, it’s good that you like her, but I understand why you’re so upset.” Coulson continued. “But… But you have to work through this. I’ll get you with your therapist when this is all said and done. I can talk. Whatever you,”

“Leave me alone.”

Coulson blinked and stood to his feet, raising his hands, “Okay, I’ll leave you alone. But I’ll come back soon when we’re ready to confront Chan, okay?” he explained. “Please.”

Grant didn’t even notice as Coulson left the room. He shifted over so he could get Max into his lap, stroking the dog’s fur to help calm himself down before he got too out of hand. But the sobs continued. 

He felt like an idiot for actually trusting someone else. He thought that he could have something with Skye and that she wouldn’t ever hurt him. But that had all been thrown out the window when she ran to Miles, unaware of how it would affect everyone else. Especially him.

His body shook as he tried to hold his flames in. At this point, he just wanted to destroy everything and run. There was no point in staying here when he couldn’t even trust the woman he thought he liked.

He couldn’t trust anyone.

The tears continued to fall as he curled up on the cold metal floor, wrapping himself around Max for support. Truly, he couldn’t have everything because it was all destroyed in the end. Why couldn’t he ever be happy? Things always had to go to shit for him. That’s all he ever had.

And as his body fought against the flames, Grant Ward fell silent once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I had to go there eventually. But things will get better between them (especially once The Well rolls around). I promise. But for right now, it's gonna be a whole lot of pain before it gets better. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	8. And Can We Start Again?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant proves that he can be a hero.

(Two Weeks Later)

“Troop leader’s name was Adam Cross. Apparently, he said that he heard something in the woods, went to check it out. That’s where the electrostatic anomaly occurred.”

Coulson sighed as he led them into the abandoned campsite/ crime scene. If that’s what you could call it. He stopped and let everyone spread out to do their own thing.

“What I don’t understand is, usually, they’re caused by a massive electrical storm.” Fitz began to explain, turning to look at Coulson.

“But there wasn’t a storm within a thousand miles of here last night.” Simmons added with a shake of her head.

Coulson looked around, “This anomaly’s different, though. It has a side effect that we’ve never seen before.” he stated before walking off from the two scientists.

May, a few feet away, lifted the hood of the troop leader’s car, seeing that the battery was gone and a scorched hole perforated the hood, “The battery blew straight through the hood.”

“Landed over here.” Grant stated, crouching next to the burnt battery. “Must’ve been powerful.” He tried to ignore Skye as she crouched down as well and poked at the battery with a stick. He really wished that she wasn’t here right now. It especially didn’t help that he had to leave Max behind on the Bus.

Grant mumbled under his breath as he stood up and looked at the tree a few feet away, his hands on his hips. He grimaced as Skye did the same thing, except right behind him. “What the hell are you doing?” he hissed, his anger towards her still showing. He didn’t look at her; he didn’t want to meet her gaze.

Skye flinched as Grant’s seething anger. Even though she had tried to apologize to him several times, he would never hear it. He would just grow closed off anytime she would try to bring it up. His trust issues had caused a massive rift between them, and Skye wasn’t sure if it could be repaired or not.

“I’m shadowing my supervising officer.” she stated, staring at his back. “I can’t do that?”

“Shadowing. Not smothering.” he mumbled, stalking off. “Scorch marks all over that tree. Lucky the whole forest didn’t burn down.” He went back to ignoring her as he stalked off, _“And it will at this rate if she doesn’t get off my damn back. I know she’s my rookie. But I don’t want her around right now. She’ll… She’ll just find some other way to hurt me. But I still don’t know how to feel. Especially after what happened with Quinn. She could’ve died. She could’ve gotten hurt. Why do I feel like this?”_

“I don’t get it. It seems to me that this whole electrostatic thingy was some freak lightning strike. I mean, why call us?” Skye asked loudly, following after Grant. What’s the big…” she trailed off as she came face to face with the floating body. She laughed, “Oh, nevermind.”

“So sad that a man died this way, yet so amazing.” Simmons stated, studying the body. “I mean, truly amazing.”

Coulson sighed and turned towards Fitzsimmons, looking at them both, “Fitzsimmons, any idea to what could cause an effect like this?” His eyes widened as they started spewing science jargon at the very same time. “Time.” he called, making a time-out gesture with his hands. “Let’s try that again.”

“No idea.”

“I think it’s some freak natural event or a new high-tech weapon.” Grant stated, stepping forward. Every muscle in his body was on edge because of the body. It was giving off a strange heat signature that rubbed him the wrong way. And he didn’t like it.

“Or could it be someone from your uber-secret Index?” Skye asked, looking at the body.

May rolled her eyes and shook her head, “There’s no one on the Index with this type of power.” she answered.

“That we know of.” Coulson added in with a frown. “I’ll contact Agent Blake at SHIELD HQ, have him check it out. Whoever or whatever’s responsible, we can’t let this happen again.”

Simmons stepped forward towards the body, “Fitz, see his forehead?” she asked. “See that endothelial discoloration?”

“Yeah, same dispersal pattern as the strike on the truck.”

“Could be an entry wound, cauterized immediately.” Simmons leaned forward, but jumped back as a spark shot from the body and towards her, causing the body to fall.

Grant turned suddenly as he felt the heat signature suddenly jump to Simmons, knowing that something was wrong.

He just knew that things were about to get much, much worse.

 

(Later)

“Why aren’t you down there?”

Grant looked up with a start, seeing Skye coming into the room. Even though he was still angry at her, he didn’t have time to act that way. And for some reason, her presence calmed his nerves, but he didn’t want to acknowledge it after what had happened between them. _“At least… At least she’s trying. But I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to feel towards her. I’m afraid that if I get close again, she’ll do something else. I’m afraid.”_

He shook his head, “They don’t need an audience.” he mumbled, looking down to his feet, where Max laid.

Skye turned and began to leave the room to let Grant be, but his voice stopped her.

“You… You can stay. If you want.” He kept his eyes on the screen, _“I don’t want to be alone right now. And she’s better than nothing. Again, at least she’s checking on me. Coulson’s the only other one that does so.”_

Skye nodded numbly and walked back in, causing Max to jump up and trot over to her as she stood beside Grant. She managed a smile before looking back at the screen, “I hate this.” she stated. “I just feel so…”

“Helpless.” Grant cut in. _“I feel like how I did when I was little and I was strapped down in the lab. I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t escape. I watched a friend die right in front of my eyes. Now it’s happening all over again.”_

“Yeah.” Skye looked over to him and noticed how his body was tense. Like he was holding something back. She was surprised that he wasn’t more upset than he was, considering he had gotten pretty close to Simmons over the past few weeks. Or he was just holding it back. Truly, Skye couldn’t handle seeing him break down again, especially after the Miles incident.

“I wanted it to be a person, some superpowered psychopath. Someone I could hurt, someone I could…” he trailed off and looked at her, sadness settling into his eyes. “Someone I could punish. I can do that. But I can’t protect you guys from stuff I can’t even see or understand.” He looked away again, _“I don’t want to lose these people. They’re all I have. Even if I have to become a monster to protect them, I’ll do it. I’ll do anything. I don’t want to lose anybody.”_

Skye sighed and turned, “So what do we do?” she asked solemnly.

Grant kept his gaze away from her and remained silent, a faint tremble to his frame. Honestly, he knew he was about to break again. He’d lost so much in his lifetime, he couldn’t afford to lose someone else. Especially to something like this.

“We… We wait.” he finally said, his voice breaking.

“For what?”

“For whatever it is we’re called upon to do.”

And he knew that he had to act soon.

 

* * *

 

As soon as the cargo hold alarm rang out later on, Grant bolted off. He let the fire fill his veins to give him more speed as he rushed off towards the cargo hold, knowing just what Simmons was trying to do.

He threw open the door and he could hear Fitz screaming. Throwing himself over the catwalk, Grant landed below and ran towards Fitz, who had already thrown a parachute on.

“The antiserum worked, but she jumped!” Fitz screamed as Grant grabbed the chute and the vial, pushing him away from the open door. The engineer watched in horror as Grant slung the chute on and bolted towards the open sky, flinging himself out of the cargo hold.

Grant’s stomach flipped as the rushing air hit his face, but he had no time to worry about the fact that he was currently free-falling through the air. Simmons was far below and was currently plummeting towards the ocean to her death.

Taking a breath, Grant stuffed the vial deep into his pocket and flung his hands out beside him. He knew that no one would be able to see him, so he sent flames roaring from the palms of his hands to rocket him towards Simmons. He was willing to use his powers for someone he called a friend, even if it could get him into trouble with Coulson later on. But Simmons’ life was far more important than a scolding from Coulson.

The wind whipped around him as he practically flew through the air towards the falling Simmons. Once he got close, he snuffed the flames and managed to catch her in his arms, immediately activating the chute. _“Come on. Come on.”_ he thought, digging through his pocket and pulling out the vial.

Holding his breath, Grant stabbed Simmons in the thigh with the needle and threw it aside. He closed his eyes as several agonizing seconds passed before a bright blue light shone from Simmons and she fell unconscious in his arms as they floated down towards the water.

And now he could finally breathe.

 

* * *

 

“Don’t get me wrong! I’m happy that you’re both alive, truly.” Coulson yelled, glaring at Grant and Simmons. “And I realize that you were trying to save the team, but what you did today…. That wasn’t your call. Just getting you out of the water… Do you have any idea what a pain it is dealing with the Moroccan office? Don’t you ever pull a stunt like that again! We’d hate to lose you, Jemma.”

Simmons looked down, not sure of what to say, “T-Thank you, sir.”

 With a sigh, Grant walked off, motioning for Simmons to follow him. He quickly made his way out of Coulson’s office, before the older man could yell at him some more too. Once he sensed that Simmons was behind him, he spoke up.

“So, what did you think of your first time skydiving?”

“Honestly? I’d rather _not_ think about it anymore.”

Grant stopped and turned around, “I thought what you did was incredibly brave.” he stated. “Uh, truly.” He paused and smiled as he heard a bark, seeing Max running towards him. He knelt down and scratched the dog behind his ear, whispering to him in a gentle voice.

Simmons smiled slightly before she answered, “Oh… Yeah. To tell you that, uh, I may have misled you earlier.”

Grant looked up at her with a frown, choosing to remain silent.

“You see, when I have you back the Night-Night pistol, I lied. It’s still an ounce off.”

“I know.” Grant rose to his feet and crossed his arms, looking down at the biochemist.

“You… You do?”

He shrugged, “Of course. Uh, after all…” He lowered his voice, “I’m Agent Grant Ward. I just jumped out of a plane without a parachute on and saved your life.”

Simmons’ eyes widened, surprised that he had actually made a joke. Maybe he was opening up to them after all. She laughed, “Actually, that’s not quite it. It’s a bit more nasally than that.”

She trailed off as she saw Skye walk up from behind Grant, “Oh.” she watched as Max trotted over towards her. “Hello, Skye.”

Skye suddenly ran over and threw her arms around Simmons, “Don’t you ever do that again.”

Simmons stifled a smile, “Don’t worry, I won’t.”

Skye pulled away, “I’m so glad that you’re alive. Really. Don’t scare us like that.” she stated. “Please.”

This time Simmons did smile, “I don’t plan on scaring anyone else anytime soon.” She went to turn around, “Now I really have to go find Fitz before he worries himself to death. We… We can catch up more later. I don’t want him giving himself an ulcer or anything.”

Skye smiled back as Simmons ran off and she turned to face Grant, causing him to freeze up, “You were good out there. Really. You just saved her freakin’ life, Grant.”

Grant’s mouth grew dry and he really wasn’t sure of what to say to her without causing his anger to flare up again. But after everything and seeing how Skye reacted, maybe she did truly care about the team. And that made him feel a little better about things.

He scratched at the back of his head, “It’s… It’s just part of my job.”

“You just flung yourself out of the plane to save a teammate. That’s not ‘just part of your job’. That’s self-sacrifice.”

 _“Considering I don’t have much to live for and I wouldn’t have died anyways. Enough fire power and I could have flown out of there.”_ He shrugged, “Whatever you want to call it.” he went to turn around and walk off with Max, but Skye’s voice stopped him.

 “You wanna get a drink? Bar’s right over there.”

He turned and looked at her, seeing her genuine smile on her face. His stomach fluttered just a bit and his mouth moved before he could even think.

“Sure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And since I'm skipping over the Hub, mainly for time reasons, the next chapter will be the Well. Which in this case, is the big one. This version of Grant plus the Berserker staff makes for an explosive combo. Literally. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	9. I Never Wanted You to See the Darkest Part of Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Berserker staff causes some unwanted side effects....

(About Two Weeks Later)

“I… I have a wonderful explanation.”

Grant frowned and backed up, glaring down at Professor Randolph, activating the comm piece in his ear, “Ran into some unexpected com—“ He reached and grabbed the staff, gasping in pain as it suddenly felt as though his veins were on fire. Something he hadn’t felt in a very, very long time. He screamed out in pain as he fell to the ground, a roaring noise filling his ears.

_“Grant! Grant! Please! Please help us!”_

_“I-I can’t move! Let me out, please! Please don’t hurt them! They’re the only friends I have!”_

_“Hold him back while we administer the drug to these two. We don’t need him losing control and burning this place down. Wait, you know what? Give him a sedative. That’ll keep him quiet long enough for us to do this.”_

_“Please, don’t! You… You can’t do this!”_

_“You are our property, you are no one. We are free to do whatever the hell we please with you as long as it accomplishes our final goal. As long as at least one survives, all of this will be worth it.”_

_Grant shrunk back as a needle pierced his neck and his limbs began to grow heavy, “Please don’t hurt them.” he slurred. “Don’t wanna lose them. You can’t kill them.”_

_The scientists disregarded him and held down his two friends, plunging even larger needles deep into their necks. Grant watched in horror as his friends screamed out as the drug took effect, blood soon pouring from their eyes. He grew numb as their bodies slumped, all life drained out of them._

_“Tch. Two more failures. We only have two more left. If all else fails, Hellfire is still our ultimate creation.”_

_“I-I’m not your creation! Give me my friends back! Give them back!”_

_“Shut up. You are our property, remember? You have no say in any of this.”_

_“Give them back!”_

“Ward, hey!”

Grant snapped up and gasped, scampering backwards in fear as someone touched his arm.

“Whoa, whoa! Hey! Grant, calm down. Calm down, please.”

Grant’s breaths came sharp and shallow, blinking as he realized that it was Skye in front of him and everything that he had seen and heard hadn’t been real. But it had been real at one point. All too real.

“Hey, calm down.” Skye reached out for him as he shied away.

“T-The staff… H-He has it.” he stammered shakily, trying to pull himself to his feet, looking around the room like something was after him.

Skye frowned and activated her own comm piece, “Something’s wrong with Ward.” She looked around, “The staff’s gone. Someone took it.” she added. She gulped at looked back at the frightened Grant, seeing a strange light in his eyes, “What’s wrong with you?”

 

* * *

 

“This is ridiculous.”

“Grant, you passed out. And you weren’t acting right.”

“Coulson ordered me to give you a full work-up,” Simmons spoke up, glancing at Grant nervously. “And that’s exactly what I’m doing. Um, before you lost consciousness, were you feeling claustrophobic?”

“Why?”

“She’s ruling out a panic attack.” Fitz answered, looking down at his tablet. “Considering your mental state, it’s likely that something like that happened.”

“You think I’m fucking crazy?” Grant hissed. “No.”

Skye raised an eyebrow, “Touching the staff caused it, right?”

“Any residual effects?” Simmons asked, typing away on her own tablet. “Exhibiting any extra, uh, _strength_?”

 _“You don’t know who the fuck I am, do you? I could rip someone apart without even trying. I…”_ He growled and glared at the screen, currently showing Coulson and the professor, “Why don’t I find out on that guy?”

“Hey,” Skye began, looking at him worriedly. “How about we _not_ do that?”

Fitz sighed, “What’s the last thing that you remember before you lost consciousness?”

“This is a waste of time!” Grant snapped, ripping his arm from the cuff and towering over Simmons. “W-We need to find the staff!”

“What exactly do you remember?” Fitz continued, trying to ignore what was going on.

Grant’s face fell and he shook his head again, “Something I haven’t thought about in a very long time.” he stated coldly.

“Why don’t we leave it alone?” Skye suggested quietly, hoping to calm things down before it got too out of hand.

“Well, he just pulled his arm out of,”

“Quiet!” He glared at Fitzsimmons, “I want to hear this.” He stabbed at the tablet controlling the monitor.

“One of my men is hurt and the staff is gone.” Coulson’s voice echoed.

“I didn’t want any of that to happen.” Randolph pleaed, staring up at Coulson.

“Then what did you want? The staff’s power for yourself?”

“Nothing like that.” Randolph sighed and shrugged, “You know, I just wanted to be the first to study it, to prove that the Berserkers were actually here. A part of history. You think about that.”

“Oh, I’m thinking about it.”

The screen suddenly shut off and Grant shot up, glaring at everyone else in the room, “What the hell are you doing?” he hissed lowly.

“Your heart rate’s rising. Adrenaline’s spiking.” Simmons began cautiously. “You need to calm down, not get worked up.”

Grant took a sharp breath and turned to the side, trying to steady himself. He could feel the flames just underneath his skin. And honestly? He didn’t even care at this point. He just wanted everyone to shut up.

“Grant,” Skye began softly, leaning towards him. “The memory, what was it about?”

“Drop it.” He glared at her, anger seething in his eyes.

“Grant, if you need to get it out, I am here—“

“Right. To talk. Because that’s what you do. Talk.” He leaned towards her and snarled, “And talk. Don’t you ever get tired of hearing your own voice?!” he spat, anger gleaming in his eyes.

“Ward, stop.”

Grant spun around and started to swing his fist, but stopped as soon as he realized that it was Fitz.

“Well, this makes more sense.” Simmons announced, trying to break things up. “Ward, what you’re experiencing, this feeling… It’s chemistry.” She frowned as Grant backed up and glared at her, something dark brewing in his eyes.

“Hope so.” Skye muttered, not sure of what to do. She had no idea that Grant could get like this.

“Yeah, spikes in his adrenocorticotrophic hormone. It’s like those stories you hear when a mother is able to lift a car to save her baby. An adrenaline surge can create a massive—“

“Stop talking!” Grant screamed, stepping backwards and gripping at his head. “J-Just fix it!”

“I wish I could. We can relieve some of the symptoms, but not the whole thing. I’m going to give you 10cc of benzodiazepine.”

“A chill pill. Good idea.” Skye muttered.

“A sedative?! Not going to happen!” Grant snapped. “Keep it away from me.”

“Yeah, well, be reasonable. Look how you’re behaving.” Fitz stated carefully.

“And if I’m sedated and we cross paths with those juiced freaks. The ones who flip cars and smash people up, are you gonna take them on? Keep us safe?” he asked lowly, his voice a mere growl. “Or am I gonna have to save Simmons’ ass. Again?” He poked Fitz in the chest, causing the engineer to back away.

“Grant!”

Grant growled and spun to see Coulson coming into the room. He remained silent as the older man approached.

“Stop this. We can’t have you hurting your own teammates.”

“And what’s it to you?” he hissed, slowly approaching Coulson. “You just want to keep your hands clean. You… You really don’t care about me.”

Coulson held his hands up slowly, realizing that the staff had made Grant’s rage rise to an unprecedented level. He would blow very, very soon. “Grant, this isn’t you.” he began slowly. “Just think about it. You’re showing your anger to the very people you want to protect. I thought that you didn’t want that.”

Grant snarled and stalked away towards the lab doors, “Just shut the fuck up!” he screamed. “Stop talking and leave me the hell alone!” He groaned and bent over as his veins burned again.

“Grant,”

A loud, crunching noise rang out, causing everyone to jump back. Grant’s hand fell from the metal frame of the lab door, showing that it had been crumpled like paper.

Fitz’s mouth fell open, “T-That’s a titanium alloy. There’s no way. Did the staff?”

Coulson shook his head, his mouth growing dry, “No, that’s his normal strength.”

“Shut up!” Grant spun around and caused everyone to jump back again. His eyes were a deep, blood red. As if flames were burning from his irises.

“Oh, shit.”

Fitzsimmons and Skye looked at one another before looking at Coulson for an answer, “What the hell?!” Fitz spoke for them. “W-What… What?!”

Coulson began to slowly back away, “I want you three to head into the storage bay now.” he stated calmly. “But enough distance between you and him. Go as fast as you can. You,”

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” Grant screamed, gripping his head as he groaned in pain again. His eyes flared and his body trembled, “Why can’t you all just shut up?!”

Fitzsimmons and Skye jumped behind the Holotable as _flames_ suddenly ripped from Grant’s body, covering his hands and arms. He stalked towards them before the fear seeping from Skye’s eyes stopped him, breaking through his anger for only a moment.

He waivered and looked down at his flaming arms, “What… What did I do?” The flames suddenly snuffed out and his knees buckled. He fell with a resounding thud straight to the floor.

“What the hell was that?!” Fitz demanded as they came from their hiding spot, Skye immediately running over to Grant and finding his body burning hot. They all looked towards the older agent for an answer.

Coulson sighed and scratched the back of his head, “I have a lot of explain, don’t I?”

 

* * *

 

 

(Later)

“Hey.”

Grant looked up blankly from his glass to see Skye standing next to him, a smile on her face.

“You know, I could get used to turndown service and little mints on my pillow.”

He shook his head, “Overnights aren’t standard.” his voice was shallow and weak. Why had she come back? Especially after she saw _that_ side of him. He took a sip of his whiskey, feeling the satisfying burn down his throat. Oh how he wished he could get drunk.

“We deserve a nice night.” Skye looked over to him as she sat down, “You especially. How’re you feeling?”

Grant sat his glass down and shook his head, “Not great.” He fell silent for a bit and looked her deep in the eyes, “I’m sorry. You weren’t supposed to see that side of me. No one is. I’m not that guy most of the time.”

“For a guy who saves lives, I can overlook a little Hulk rage. And flames.”

Grant sighed, looking down, “Does everything just roll off your back?” he asked. “I just showed everyone the side of me no one was ever supposed to see. And you’re acting like it was nothing.”

She smiled, “You know, Coulson told us what he could about you.” she began. “You were unconscious and we were seriously needing an explanation to why our teammate suddenly burst into flames.”

His face fell and he suddenly felt sick, “You know?” he croaked.

“Grant, that isn’t something to be ashamed of. You couldn’t help what you were turned into.” She sighed and placed a hand near him on the bar, “That isn’t your fault. It isn’t something you should be sorry about. The way you lost it back there…” She trailed off and look back at him, “I assume what you saw was from that?”

“Yeah.” His voice broke and he looked away, “I haven’t thought about it in a long time. And I don’t want to again.” He grew silent and Skye knew that he would become closed off soon.

“I figured.” She reached out a hand and placed it on his forearm, noticing how he didn’t flinch. “I know that you’re not one to talk, but like I said, I’m here. My shoulder’s free.”

Grant smiled slightly and took a sharp breath, beginning to stand to his feet, “I’m beat. Another time, maybe.”

“Well, you know where I live.”

He smiled again and knocked back the rest of his whiskey. Sitting the glass down, he walked off and left Skye to herself.

She watched as he walked off, both a longing and a worried look in her eyes, _“God, I hope he’s okay. I had no idea he was this messed up.”_

 

* * *

 

Grant slowly approached his door, fumbling for his keycard. But he stopped as a thought drifted through his head and he looked next door to where Skye was. Maybe she was already there, he had long left her in the bar since Coulson had pulled him aside to try and talk to him.

He left his arm fall and he left his door, walking over to Skye’s and stood outside of it.

_“Do… Do I really want to bother her with this? I know she said her shoulder was free, but I don’t feel right doing this. But she already knows about me. It’s not like I can scare her even more. Is she even scared of me?”_

He took a sharp breath and raised his hand, hovering over the door in uncertainty. He shook his head and decided it had to be done.

Lightly rapping on the door, he called out for her,

“Skye? You in there? I… I wanna talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a reason to why I had such a big skip between the lab freakout and the bar scene. And it's mainly time. But hopefully it worked well enough. So the team knows about Grant's secret and he's taken up Skye's offer to talk. How will that go? Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	10. Looking for Angels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant and Skye talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick warning, there is a brief mention of a suicide attempt in here. Just to let you know.

Skye looked up as a knock sounded at her room door, _“That has to be Grant, I think everyone else is busy.”_ she thought, setting her laptop aside and getting up from the bed.

“Skye? You in there? I… I want to talk.”

Her heart skipped a few beat at the sound of his voice, _“But he actually took up my offer to talk? He’s so closed-off and quiet most of the time, I didn’t think he’d actually want to talk about what happened. Maybe things are changing with him. Coulson will absolutely love this.”_

She took a breath as she reached the door and opened to see Grant standing right outside with Max at his feet. He gave her an awkward smile before she waved him in, gently closing the door behind them.

“Everything okay?” she asked, watching as he took a seat in a lounge chair a few feet away from the bed. “I didn’t think you would actually want to talk. This is pretty surprising.”

He shrugged and looked down, adjusting Max’s service vest as he did so, “I-I thought it might help.” he said softly “It’s hard keeping everything under wraps, especially after today. It’s all been drudged back up and I feel like I’ve gotta get rid of it. And… And I don’t know how.” He looked back up at her, pain shining in his eyes.

Skye frowned, the pain in his eyes pulling at her heartstrings. She still had a hard time believing that Grant was _this_ messed up. And she knew that Coulson hadn’t told them everything. There were certain things that only Grant knew, and there was no telling to what else he was hiding in the depths of his mind.

“You know, I won’t prod or push you to say things you don’t want to.” she stated, sitting on the bed and pulling her legs up so she could cross them together. “Say whatever you feel comfortable with saying. Now, I probably won’t have a good response for most things because I don’t know how you feel. And I’m not a damned therapist, so that doesn’t help.” She shook her head, “I guess I’m just someone you can vent to.”

Another small smile pulled at his lips as he began to run his fingers over Max’s head, one of his many ways of trying to steady himself. “I-I don’t know where to begin. But… But I’m not that guy you saw earlier. I’m,”

“Grant, you don’t have to apologize again.” Skye interrupted. “That wasn’t your fault.”

“I could’ve hurt or killed you.” he muttered, looking away from her. “One wave of my hand and you’d be ash. I don’t want to lose anyone. Not again.”

Skye raised an eyebrow, “Again?”

“There were ten of us when the project began. I’m the only one left. Horizon killed the rest of them with their experiments.” he slowly began to explain, sadness lacing his voice. “I’ve been alone ever since. I’ve been isolated. My issues separate me from everyone else. This team… You’re the first people I’ve worked with in over a decade.”

And Skye swore that she could feel her heart break. She didn’t know how to respond to him at all without possibly pulling at his scars. She knew that it was taking every last bit of strength that he had to say this, and it wouldn’t be long before that strength was gone.

“I don’t want anything happening to any of you. Coulson’s all I had for fifteen years. Now I actually have people that I can call friends.” he continued. “I don’t want to lose that. Not again.”

She nodded slowly, “Grant, you won’t lose us, we’ll be here.” she stated slowly. “We won’t go away or anything. We’re here to stay.”

He drew his legs into the chair and leant his head up against his knees, “Promise?” he mumbled, a faint tremble to his voice. Skye knew that he was about to break into tears. “I don’t wanna be alone again.

I haven’t been truly happy in years either. The doctors say it’s because something’s wrong with my frontal lobe due to those experiments.” he continued. “Those bastards tried to create an emotionless soldier and they just ended up fucking me up instead. My emotions don’t process right, so that’s why I seem so weird most of the time.”

“Grant,”

“I’m tired, Skye.” he mumbled. Max sat up and looked up at him, whining as he knew something was wrong. “I don’t wanna be like this. I… I wanna die most of the time.” He shifted his left arm to reach for Max and Skye’s stomach dropped as she noticed something on it for the first time: a long, jagged scar that went from his wrist to the middle of his forearm. “I’m tired.”

Skye immediately wanted take him into her arms, but she knew that it wasn’t a good idea at the moment. Any kind of sudden movement would probably send him into a frenzy. And she wasn’t sure of what to say either. Maybe offering to talk to him wasn’t such a good idea after all.

“Grant,” she began. She patted beside her on the bed, “Come here.”

He looked up with a frown and watery eyes, “Why?” he croaked.

“Because I feel like you’re too far away from me and I want you to be closer.”

“Why? Especially after what happened.”

“Grant, I’m not afraid of you.” she replied, a serious look on her face. “I understand to why you would think that, but I’m not. Besides, I don’t think that you have that capability. You can come sit by me. I won’t bite.”

Grant remained there in the chair for a bit, just staring at her as he tried to figure out what to do. One part of him wanted to remain there in the chair and not move for a long time. Another part wanted to be right there next to her. So, he really wasn’t sure of what to do at all.

But, after a few, quiet minutes, he slowly got up and made his way over to her, Max right beside him the entire time. Skye smiled as he sat down a few inches from her. She looked down to Max and back to Grant, “Can I pet him?” she asked, hoping that talking about Max would improve his mood.

He blinked and nodded shakily, “Y-Yeah. I know his vest says not to, but that’s only for when he’s in public.” he stammered. “But you can pet him. He likes being scratched right under the chin.”

“Then why don’t you take the vest off since we’re in the room?” she questioned, leaning down to scratch Max’s chin.

“I’m afraid someone will see him and fuss.” he stated meekly. “People tend not to ask when they see the vest. I’ll take it off of him when we go to bed.”

Skye nodded slowly, “I take it you really love him then. How old is he?”

“Two and a half. He’s all I had for the last year. And I kind of liked it that way. Dogs don’t judge you for being different. They love you no matter what.” He turned and looked off in the distance, “That’s one reason to why I wasn’t around others. People made fun of me because I act strangely. It was better being alone than being around bullies.”

“I don’t think you have to worry about bullies with us, Grant. No one’s gonna judge you. Yes, it’s a little weird that fire spouts from your body, but we can get used to it.” she stated, leaning up and giving him a smile. She reached out and placed a hand on his thigh, and, surprisingly, he didn’t flinch. “You’re safe here.”

He swallowed, “You really think so?” he asked cautiously. “I’m not used to situations like this. So forgive me if I seem a little wary of it.”

“Yes, Grant, I think you’ll be safe.” She smiled once more, “No one’s going to hurt you.”

A small smile pulled at Grant’s lips and he looked away for a while, remaining silent as he did so. He eventually took his hand and placed it on top of hers, shivering at the contact of their skin. But he had to admit, there was something about her touch that soothed his nerves. He could tell that this was a touch that would never hurt him.

“Thank you.” he stated, still looking at the other side of the room. “I-I’ve never had someone, uh, care for me like this. Other than Coulson. It… It feels nice.”

Skye blushed, thinking that this was Grant’s way of saying he liked her. But she wasn’t sure. She knew that she had to wait for him to truly say it for her to really know.

“You’re not that bad of a guy, Grant. Hell, you’re a really nice one as far as I can tell.” she continued. _“And in many more ways than one at that. But I’m not about to tell him that.”_

He looked at her and briefly smiled once more before looking back at Max, “I-I should get going before it gets too late.” he stammered, moving to get up. “I,”

Skye gently took his hand and gave it a light squeeze, “You know, you can stay in here if you want.” she said, watching as he settled back down and turned to look at her. “I figure that you might want the company after today’s events.”

 _“What’s she trying to say? She wants me to sleep in here? Like a sleepover or something?”_ Grant frowned, “I don’t think you want me doing that. My nightmares,”

“Won’t bother me. And like I said, I think you need the company.” she stated, cutting him off. “We can get ready and maybe we can talk some more if you want. I don’t think you need to be alone tonight.” _“And he’ll probably be asleep soon. I can see it in his eyes. He’ll probably pass out as soon as he’s showered and changed.”_

Grant looked at her for a while before he nodded, “I… I guess that you’re right. I probably don’t need to be alone with my thoughts. T-Thank you for doing this. You’re the only other person that’s been this nice to me. I like that.”

She smiled, “It’s not a problem. Really, it isn’t.” she stated. “Just a friend being a friend is all.”

_“And I think it’s more than that. But how do I tell him that I like him without freaking him out? Maybe I could tell him in the morning when things are a little bit better for him? But, Grant, I know that I like you. I really do.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish this could've been longer, but I blame my knee. But hopefully this was good enough. And I'm definitely not getting into anything more intimate with them than them touching for a while, considering how spooked Grant is by other people. He's gotta get really used to Skye first. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	11. I'm Still Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next morning...

(The Next Morning)

Skye awoke with a start, jolting up when she remembered the events from last night, _“God, when did I fall asleep? The last thing I remember is talking to Grant. How long did we even talk for?”_ She looked beside her and her heart fluttered, seeing Grant fast asleep next to him.

He was completely out, his body wrapped around Max. His shirt and sweatpants that he had changed into last night were wrinkled and his shirt was pulled up to the point where Skye could see his abs. She blushed and adverted her gaze elsewhere before he could wake and realize that she was staring at him.

Looking away, her eyes caught sight of the clock on the bedside clock, seeing that it was a little past six in the morning. _“Damn, Grant’s training has really taken its toll on me. I can’t sleep late anymore.”_ She bit her lip and looked back towards Grant, _“Do I wake him? No, it’s probably best that I let him sleep. Especially after all that happened yesterday. And besides, I don’t think we check out of this place until noon or so. So, it won’t hurt to let him sleep another hour or so.”_

Taking a sharp breath, Skye slid out of the bed, careful not to wake Grant. She knew that his senses were sharp, so she was afraid that getting out of the bed would wake him somehow. But, truly, she really had to pee, so she couldn’t wait until Grant was up to go to the bathroom.

She tiptoed into the bathroom and carefully shut the door behind her, surprised that it didn’t even wake Max. For a service dog, he slept pretty hard. Skye guessed that he was just more in tuned with being alerted by Grant more than anything else.

She went ahead and did her business and started to wash her hands when a voice called out to her:

“Skye? You in the bathroom?”

Her heart fluttered again and she quickly dried off her hands, opening the door to see Max sitting just outside of it, looking up at her with his tail wagging about a hundred miles an hour. She smiled and leaned down, “Hey, boy.” she cooed, scratching him underneath his chin. “You sleep well?”

Max barked and turned around, jumping back onto the bed into Grant’s waiting arms. Skye looked up and smiled as Grant sleepily blinked at her, wrapping his arms back around Max.

Honestly, she found him pretty cute like this. His hair stuck up in random tuffs all over his head and he was starting to get a heavy stubble. Confusion laced his face as he tried to get a hold of his surroundings.

“What time is it?” he asked, watching as Skye made her way back around the bed. “It’s still kind of dark.”

“A little past six.”

He blinked, “You know, we don’t have to train today.” he stated, shaking his head as Skye slipped back into the bed. “One, because we’re not on the Bus right now. And two, I feel like absolute shit and I don’t feel like getting out of this bed for a few hours.”

“Then you’re lucky we don’t have to be out of here until noon or so.”

“Mmmm, okay.” he muttered, slipping back down into the sheets and letting Max lie at his feet. “But this means we’re training extra hard when I don’t feel like I got slung around by the Hulk.”

“Did you just make a joke?” Skye asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No.”

“Oh.”

Skye blinked and looked away for a while as it seemed as though Grant was starting to fall back asleep. She knew that the staff had really taken it out of him; it wasn’t like him to skip out on training at all. It was highly likely that Grant wouldn’t be himself for a long time; there was no telling to when the staff’s power would burn out of his system. And it really didn’t help that he already had a massive anger problem before the Berserker rage was thrown into the mix.

And the events of the past day had given plenty of insight into Grant’s mysterious past.

One: he had been kidnapped when he had been five years old and he hardly even remembered his family. And what little he remembered of it was nothing but fists and screams.

Two: he had been experimented on for the next ten years, being turned into a super powered Captain America of sorts. And he had been the only one out of ten children to survive the inhumane experiments.

Three: he had been left with several mental issues that affected his day to day life. The biggest being the physical problem with his frontal lobe. He couldn’t control and process his emotions very well. And that was in addition to his anxiety and several other underlying problems.

Skye’s heart hurt for the man, and she really didn’t know how to help him. She thought him talking about it some had cleared some things up in his head, but she really didn’t know. At least he had been loosening up ever since he had gotten on the Bus, so hopefully he would continue to improve. But there was no telling to what the staff had done to his mental state.

He had shown his powers when he truly didn’t want to. He knew that he could’ve killed the others and he blamed himself for that. So, he feared seeing Fitzsimmons again. He hadn’t seen them since the incident and he wasn’t sure if it wanted to go back to the Bus or not.

Several minutes of silence surrounded them until Grant decided to break it.

“Thank you.”

Skye blinked and looked over, seeing him looking up at her, “For what?” she asked, surprised that he was still awake.

“For… For last night.” he answered, pulling himself into a sitting position. “For actually listening to me. I know my therapist does the same, but it’s different with you. There’s no stress when I try to talk to you.” He looked down and began to play with his hands, “T-There’s just something about you that, uh, calms me.”

“Uh,” Skye blushed and fought to figure out what to say. “Ah, Grant, you don’t have to thank me. You know I’m here if you need me.” she answered. “But I’m glad that you feel like you can talk to me. It’s good for you.”

Grant looked away for a while and grew quiet once more. Skye looked at him and a question popped into her head. She wasn’t sure if she should ask it or not, but she figured that now was a better time than never. They wouldn’t be alone like this again for a while

“Grant.”

He looked back at her and frowned, “What?”

“Do… Do you like me?”

A heavy blush quickly colored his freckled cheeks and he looked away. “I-I, uh… Uh…” he stammered. Skye swore that the air around them was starting to heat up, probably a result of him growing flustered. “I…” He looked at her again, his entire face red, “I-I don’t know. M-Maybe. I’m not sure. I’m not used to things like this, so is that what it is?”

She blushed again as well and she gently took his hand, “I guess. I don’t know how you feel.” she stated simply. “It’s just that you’re flustered since I asked you.”

He looked down and thought for a while before nodding his head, “Y-Yes. I think I do.” He gulped and played with his hands again, “It’s just that I’ve never really been able to be close to anyone before, so that’s why I seem a little _odd_ about it. Sorry.”

“Grant, it’s fine. You don’t have to apologize about the way you act, remember?”

“Yeah, I… I guess so.” Grant looked her in the eyes, “Do… Do you like me?”

“That’s why I asked you.”

“So, that’s a yes?”

She smiled and nodded, “Yeah, Grant, it’s a yes. I just never knew how to approach you with it before. I figured that now was probably the best time to ask since we’re alone.” she explained, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. “Didn’t want to embarrass you in front of the others.”

He nodded, “I don’t even know if I want to see them right now.” he muttered, beginning to play with Skye’s hand now. “I know that you’re taking this well, but I don’t know how Fitzsimmons will. I’m… I’m afraid.”

Her heart lurched again, seeing just how afraid he was. Fire started to churn deep within his irises, a sign of the destruction inside. Grant would never be whole, there would always be a part of him that would be falling apart. A part of him would always be losing control of itself until his entire being lost control.

“Grant, you’ll be ok. They won’t bite. I think they’re a little startled by everything, but they’re not going to hurt you.” she quietly explained, squeezing his hand again. “Just… Just be brave. I’ll be right there with you. But they’re not going to do a single damn thing to you.”

He looked away and sank back down into the sheets, “I hope you’re right.” He became quiet again before speaking up again, “Can we sleep some more?” he asked quietly. “I don’t wanna get back up yet.”

A slight smile pulled at her lips and she crawled back under the covers, “Yeah. We’ve got time.”

She went to turn her back to her, but she stopped as something suddenly weighed down on her waist. She looked down to see Grant’s arm laying across it and she blushed just as he spoke.

“I… I want you close. Stay close. Please.”

“Don’t worry. I will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And, so, there you go. They've admitted that they like one another. So how far will it go after that? Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	12. The Night, If It Comes for Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant runs into Fitzsimmons.

(Later That Day)

Grant strayed right behind Skye as they got out of the SUV. His eyes watched Coulson as the older man went straight into the Bus and up the stairs, presumably towards his office. Hurried chatter filled his ears as they got just inside the cargo hold and Grant stopped, glancing nervously at Fitzsimmons behind the lab doors. He didn’t think that they’d be back already. He was expecting to be able to go straight to his bunk with ease. Truly, he didn’t want to confront the two younger agents just yet. He didn’t have the strength nor the courage to do so.

“Grant, you’re gonna have to say something between them sooner or later. It isn’t healthy to avoid them like this.”

He blinked and turned to face Skye, “I… I don’t know what to say.” he muttered, playing with the strap of his bag. “I think it’s best that I stay quiet for now.”

“They’re not going to try to kill you or anything, Grant. They’re probably two of the most easy going people I’ve ever met.” Skye explained softly, gently reaching out for his hand. “At least say hi to them and try to acknowledge them. Sure, they’ll probably have some questions, but they’re not going to hate you. There’s no reason to hate you.”

He swallowed and licked his lips, feeling a headache coming on, “Can… Can you stay with me? I don’t trust myself. I don’t want to freak out and somehow hurt them. Someone else needs to be there.”

She smiled and squeezed his hand to give him reassurance, “I’ll be right there behind you with Max, Grant. There’s no reason to be worried at all. You don’t even have to apologize to them, remember? I just don’t want you to hide from them. There can’t be a rift between the three of you.”

Grant shook his head and laughed darkly, “God, it feels like I’m the rookie now. You’re the one giving me the directions.”

“Grant, sometimes you need someone to lead you in the right direction. You don’t have to be ashamed of it.” she stated, looking over his shoulder and seeing Fitzsimmons starting to come out of the lab. “You can’t do everything yourself.”

“Ward!”

Skye frowned as Grant immediately froze up and began to try to hide behind her, but she wouldn’t let him. She wanted him to face his fear directly. Taking a breath, she looked him deep into the eyes and stepped off to the side.

“Ward, we’re glad you’re okay!” Fitz repeated. “You had us worried for a little while.”

Fire briefly shone in Grant’s eyes before he spun around and met the two scientists with a shaky smile, “I-I’m fine.” he stammered, Max pressing right up against his leg. “D-Don’t worry about me.”

Simmons slightly cocked her head, “Ward, you don’t have to be scared of us. If anything, we should be the ones to be scared of _you_. But we’re not.” she stated. “Coulson told us that you’d probably be this way. But I don’t know what you think we could even possibly do to you. You’re our teammate for God’s sakes.”

Grant’s face fell and he gripped the strap of his bag, “Y-You’re not scared of me? Usually anyone who knows is.”

Fitz shrugged, “It’s not like you’re some demon or something, Ward. You’re still human.” he answered. “You’re just kind of like Captain America. That’s actually kind of cool.”

“Captain America doesn’t spout flames.”

“Consider it an upgrade.”

Simmons sighed, “Look, you’re not a monster unless you act like one. That’s what I think. And all you’ve done so far is protect us. You can’t be at fault for what that staff caused you to do. Yes, it freaked us out at first, something like that would scare anyone. But once Coulson told us what you’ve been through…” she trailed off and shook her head. “It makes you see a person in a different way. We don’t fear you, Grant. If anything, we want to help you.”

“I-I don’t need help. Coulson’s enough.”

“Grant,” Skye began, taking a step forward from where she stood on the side. “Remember what I told you? You don’t need to be afraid of getting help if you need it. I think it’ll be good for you to have an entire team backing you up in case things get too bad for you. Help isn’t a bad thing.”

The haunted look began to return in his eyes and Skye could tell he would soon grow quiet and closed off once more. “Sorry.” he mumbled. He looked towards Skye, “Can… Can I go now?” he asked quietly. “I don’t feel so good.”

Skye took a sharp breath and nodded, figuring that it would do no good to try and keep him here. If he didn’t want to talk, he wouldn’t whatsoever. It was probably best that he go rest alone. She figured that she would go check on him later. Coulson had told her that sometimes he needed to be reminded of his own basic needs like eating and such. Maybe cooking him something for dinner would help to lighten his mood before things could get worse.

Grant wasted no time practically bolting up the stairs with Max in tow, leaving Skye and Fitzsimmons behind.

“He’s not much of a talker, is he?”

Skye shrugged, “If you talk about the right things, he’ll talk. But he’s scared due to what happened yesterday. I bet he’s gonna be quiet for a while. At least until we’re on another mission.” she answered. “I’ve never met a man like him.”

“By what Coulson said, he’s been through hell and back.” Fitz added. “Someone like that isn’t going to function normally. I’m surprised that he’s still sane. Did he tell you anything else?”

“Not really. Nothing that Coulson didn’t already tell us.” She looked around and lowered her voice, “But we might want to watch him for a while. There’s a scar on his forearm that I’m pretty sure is from a suicide attempt. And he did tell me that he wants to die most of the time. I’ll talk to Coulson about it, but he doesn’t need to be alone right now. Hell, he told me that he doesn’t want to be alone anymore. He’s afraid that we’ll leave somehow.”

Simmons’ face fell, “Bloody hell.”

“Yesterday only did him harm. It reopened old wounds. He’s not going to be okay for a while.”

“Skye, I’m just wondering. Do you happen to like him?” Fitz asked, crossing his arms. “You seem awfully worried about him and I did overhear May telling Coulson that she saw Ward go into your room last night and not come out until the morning.”

Skye blushed, “W-Well, I don’t know what you’re implying there.” She paused and sighed, “But, yeah, I do like him.”

“Does he like you?”

“He said he does, and I believe him. That and the fact he gets incredibly flustered around me.” Skye continued. “I guess it’s just complicated since he’s not too fond of someone touching him. He’ll let me hold his hand or whatnot. But that’s about it.”

“A relationship doesn’t have to be physical like that to be good. Ward just needs someone to teach him that he can trust others.”

The three of them looked up to see Coulson coming down the stairs, causing Skye to panic and blush.

“I’m not mad at you, Skye. I can’t help that the two of you like each other.” the older man continued. “I’m just surprised that Grant actually likes someone for once. As long as you treat him kindly and help him out, I won’t question the relationship. Give it some time and he’ll probably open up a whole lot. Right now’s just a bad time for him.”

“There isn’t some rule that a rookie and their SO can’t be together?”

“There probably is, but again, I’m not going to say anything about it. I can’t pry Grant away from someone he actually likes.

Just be kind and everything will probably be okay. Hopefully, this is where Grant will truly begin to heal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that it's not great, but I'm not feeling all that well and I need to get to sleep soon. It's short, but hopefully it's good enough. The next chapter will probably skip to Seeds. Just a note, Coulson never died in this AU, so that's why I'm skipping the Bridge and The Magical Place. (But Garrett will probably still be a character here, still working things out.) Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	13. The Calm Before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant has a heart to heart with Skye.

(A Couple of Weeks Later)

“Is this the device they found in the indoor pool? Correction, the instantly frozen indoor pool?”

“It seems like it was planted in the filter days before, like someone was waiting for those specific cadets.” Grant looked down at the tablet in his hands and looked back up, waiting for someone to answer.

“Well, as far as they can tell, the device uses a crystalline nucleation process that she designed.” Fitz stated, nodding over towards Simmons.

“And a delivery mechanism he invented.” Simmons added. “That’s why we’re being asked to consult on the investigation.

Skye raised an eyebrow, moving her spoon full of cereal towards her mouth, “So we’re going to the Academy?”

“The science and technology division.” Grant answered, looking over towards her. “Uh, the cadets are pretty shaken up over what happened.” He looked back towards Fitzsimmons, “Agent Weaver asked if you two could speak to the student body about potentiality to help calm them down.”

 _“Everyone has the potential to do something.”_ he thought. _“Like I have the potential to be a weapon of mass destruction. One wrong move and everything blows. Like how I had the potential to be Horizon’s ultimate soldier if Coulson hadn’t of shown up when he did.”_

“Of course. The talk.” Simmons rolled her eyes. “We’ve all heard the talk.”

“I haven’t.” Skye spoke up, looking around for an answer.

Grant looked to the floor where Max was laying, “I guess that you will.”

“Well, I’ve heard a lot about the Academy. I’m excited to finally see it.”

“Me, too.” Grant stated, placing aside his tablet. “Never been to Sci-Tech before.”

“Never? Huh. Don’t the different Academies ever interact?”

“Uh, not much.” Grant stated just as Fitz scoffed. “The Academy of Communications does, but they’re the biggest and focused on data analysis.”

“It’s the easiest to get into.” “Boring.” Fitzsimmons said at the exact same time.

“That’s where you’d be Skye.” Fitz added in.

“Oh, thank.” Skye nodded slowly. “I feel very honored.”

“Operations is the most aggressive program. More people wash out of Operations than the other Academies.” Grant stated, staring straight at Skye. _“But it’s not like I had to try hard. I had it made. The higher-ups wanted me to stay.”_

“So which one’s the hardest to get into?”

Simmons just smiled and tilted her head, her look giving Skye the answer she sought.

“I’m… I’m picking up on the rivalry between Sciences and Operations.” Skye stated, turning her attention straight to Grant. Her eyes noticed May walk by, “You and Coulson past all that, or are you gonna help Grant steal their mascot?”

“We’re not going.” May deadpanned. “After we drop you off, Coulson and I have other matters to attend to.”

The room grew dead silent as May walked off.

“Well,” Skye breathed in. “That was awkward.”

 

* * *

 

(Later, Science and Technology Campus.)

“This was an SSR base, before SHIELD was even founded. SSR stand for,”

“Strategic Scientfic Reserve. Yeah, I know.” Skye cut in. “I got that. Is this where you got all of your PhDs?”

“Oh, no.” Simmons smirked again, looking towards Skye. “You need at least one to get through the door.”

“Is Science and Technology what you imagined, Agent Ward?” Fitz asked, looking over towards the man.

 “Yeah. No uniforms. No ropes course.” He paused and scanned the campus grounds again, “No defined muscularity on anyone.”

“No marching in place, no IQs in double digits”

Grant rolled his eyes, “Mine is about 180 or so. But I haven’t had any tests for it in a while. So it’s probably higher.” he muttered. “Not every specialist is a dumb brute.”

Fitz gaped at him, “180? That’s… That’s pretty high.” he stated. “I didn’t think,”

“I was built to be perfect, so of course I’m smart.” Grant chided, trying to make himself feel better. There _were_ some things about himself he was proud about. “How do you think I’m able to speak six languages?”

Fitz just shut his mouth and looked away.

“There they are. So good to see you.”

The four looked up to see a female agent walking towards them with a smile. She approached Simmons and shook her hand.

“You look as lovely as ever.”

“I concur.” Fitz added with a nod of her head.

“Thank you.”

The agent looked over towards Grant and reached out her hand, “Agent Ward, it’s a pleasure to have you, sir. It’s always wonderful to have an agent of your skill and rank with us.” she stated, frowning as Grant just stared at her hand and kept his own in his pockets. She forgot that he had issues with people touching him. She hadn’t been around him in a long while.

“Agent Weaver.” Grant said, letting a hand fall to his side so he could make contact with Max. “Is… Is there a list of suspects?”

“Based on the level of intelligence it would take to put a device together like the one we found, we’ve narrowed it down to the top ten percent of our cadets.” Weaver answered. “I’m worried that there’s a bad seed.”

“Ops and Sciences have differences,” Grant began, looking over towards Skye to provide her with a lesson. “But both have to be careful about what we call ‘bad seeds’. People who want to use the tools we give them for,”

“Grant, ‘bad seed’ isn’t a SHIELD term.” Skye cut in, giving him a small smile. “Just a term.” Her smile grew as he shied away, looking as though he was embarrassed. To be honest, she just wanted to spend some alone time with him. Even though that just meant them alone in his bunk or on the couch since they hadn’t moved past only gentle touches yet. The most Grant would allow would be her arms around him.

But Skye knew that he was getting really used to her touch. She reached out and gently took his hand, giving it a light squeeze for reassurance. He blushed and in that moment she found him breathtaking all over again. And it didn’t help that he had allowed himself to start growing a beard. She didn’t think that one man could be _this_ handsome.

Grant licked his lips and looked away, “I-I know that you’ve already questioned the victim,” he stammered. “But I have a few, uh, questions I’d like to ask him myself.”

Weaver nodded in affirmation, “I’ll arrange for you to talk to Seth Dormer when he’s out of class. And don’t worry, your dog is welcome wherever you go.” she stated, looking down at Max, noticing that he was a service dog. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to get Agents Fitz and Simmons settled into the lecture hall.”

Grant looked back at Skye as Fitzsimmons followed Agent Weaver and walked off.

“Look at them, the popular kids. Who knew?”

Grant laughed slightly, “I did.” He turned and motioned for her to follow, “Come on. While we have a minute. I think there’s something that you’ll want to see.”

 

* * *

 

“The Wall of Valor.”

Grant raised an eyebrow, “You’ve heard about it?”

“Every SHIELD facility has a memorial to the agents lost in the line of duty.” Skye answered, walking closer to the wall. “SHIELD’s history can be traced on walls like this.” She traced one of the names with a finger, “Huh. Bucky Barnes.”

“It puts it in perspective. What we do.”

“All of this history must make you guys proud. I just wish that I was a part of it.”

A small smile pulled at Grant’s lips and he just shook his head, deciding not to say anything.

Skye looked back at him, “It’s not self-pity, really. I’m just saying that everyone here has earned this.” she stated. “They deserve it. I hacked my way in. Feels like I cheated.”

“All you need to join is a dedication to the greater good.” Grant began, walking forward with Max at his heels. “Coulson saw that in you the moment he met you. He’s good at that. He saw it in me as well. That means something.” He slightly smiled at her, “And I see it in you as well. You’re not capable of evil. No matter what’s happened to you.”

“I feel like Coulson said that very same thing to you.”

Grant sighed and nodded, “He did. I didn’t think I could do anything good because a group of evil scientists created me. Turned me into a monster. But Coulson said he saw no evil in me. Even though I had been through hell and back. Your past doesn’t matter. It’s who you are that does.”

Skye smiled and turned away.

She was glad that Grant was beginning to see the good in other people, maybe even himself for once. And she knew that it was more than likely that he didn’t even realize just what he was saying.

Grant scratched at the scruff on his face, “If someone like me can still be a top SHIELD agent, anyone can. You have the potential.” he stated. “Yeah, there’s still a few kinks to work out, but you’ll get there. Just give it some time. No one becomes a great agent overnight. It takes training.”

Skye scoffed, “Not everyone has the T-1000 training them.” she deadpanned. “I’ll be there in no time.”

Grant just smiled and turned to walk away. At least things were going so well now. But that was always a sign that bad things would come again.

And he knew they ultimately would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And you all probably know just what the next chapter will be, unfortunately. But I have to go there since I'm following canon (minus Coulson's death as you as tell). But maybe things won't be too bad for long. I don't know. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	14. If All We are is Meant to Fade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The worst happens.

(A Week and a Half Later)

“Where’s Skye?”

“You know, Agent Coulson, it’s dangerous to keep sending her in like that. All alone…” Quinn smiled, despite the gun being held underneath his chin. He flinched as Grant tightened his grip on his shoulder. Why was the man’s hand so hot? Quinn shook his head, “When… When she means so much to you.”

Coulson slammed the gun into the side of Quinn’s face, sending him right to the ground. Grant stood over him motionlessly, the flames wanting to come out and devour the man beneath him. His hands trembled as Coulson barked out orders to find Skye. Grant couldn’t process anything right now, he was far too afraid to do so.

“Find her, now!” Coulson screamed as May handcuffed Quinn. He turned around and nodded towards Grant, motioning for the man to find Skye and running off. He knew that Grant was terrified of what was going on and he knew things would go south if something had happened to Skye.

Blood roared in Grant’s ears as he tried to search the rooms, but he couldn’t find the strength to keep himself together. He knew that he was slipping. He knew that it would take much for him to lose control. All he wanted to do right now was wrap his hands around Quinn’s neck and burn him into nothing, even if Skye was okay.

He shook his head as he stepped backwards out of a room, _“No, that’s… That’s not me. I’m not a killer like that. Skye wouldn’t like that.”_ Gripping the sides of his head and trying to control his breathing, Grant stumbled down a hallway. He could feel the oncoming panic attack and he didn’t like it one bit. _“I… I can’t… I…”_

“Simmons! Get down here!”

Coulson’s distraught screams pierced through the stark quiet, echoing out from all around him. The fear and panic in the older man’s voice stopped Grant dead in his tracks and he just knew something was terribly, terribly wrong.

His mind went on autopilot as he ran towards the cellar and towards where Coulson had screamed.

Grant stumbled down the stairs and into the room, everything falling apart around him as he took in everything before him.

“She’s been shot.” Coulson’s voice echoed in his ears.

“Keep her upright.”

“I-I’ve got no pulse.”

“Uh… She’s lost too much blood. I don’t…”

Simmons’ voice faded in his ears as black spots began to dance on the edges of his vision and his breath became shallow and sharp. He sunk to his knees, trying to tear his eyes away from the blood staining Skye’s stomach. He couldn’t lose her.

Not like how he had lost everyone else.

“Put her in there!”

Simmons’ command tore Grant’s focus back to the present and his eyes shot towards where she was pointing.

“What the hell is that thing?!” he demanded, his entire body shaking. “W-We don’t… We don’t know what that is!”

“It’s a hyperbaric chamber, and I said put her in there now!”

Grant’s mind went on autopilot again as he struggled to get up and help the others get Skye into the machine. Bile began to rise in his throat as her blood started to stain his hands. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t watch her die.

A part of him wanted to run and hide. And another part of him wanted to find Quinn and rip him limb from limb.

He couldn’t lose her like how he had lost everyone else. He couldn’t lose her too. Especially when things were going so well for them.

“I need to get her temperature down, Fitz!”

Voices roared in his ears again and he sank down to the base of the machine, not noticing as the others scurried around it to get Skye’s vitals stable. Tears began streaming down his face as he fought to keep the flames in. He couldn’t end up hurting everyone else.

He knew that he had already hurt Skye. He should’ve been there with her. He shouldn’t of left her with just Fitz. This was his fault, he believed.

Grant knew this was the world’s way of taking everything he had from him.

Everything he had was destined to fade.

 

* * *

 

(Later)

Grant screamed out as he brought his hand down onto the hood of the car, crumpling the metal in the process. He stepped back and glared at the vehicle, his mind struggling to make sense of things while trying to ignore the fact that Skye was currently in the other room dying.

“Ward!”

He spun around, flames pouring from his eyes, only to come face to face with May. She looked at him with a softened expression, grief settled deep into her eyes.

“It’s not your fault. Something like that is never your fault.”

The rage in Grant’s eyes quickly morphed into pure and utter grief, a sign that his emotions were spinning out of control. “S-She should’ve never gone in there alone.” he hiccupped, trying to keep himself from crying. “I should’ve been there. I-I’m her SO. I-“

“W-Grant, blaming yourself isn’t going to help her.” May cut in softly. “Neither is raging. I know that you’re upset, but you need a way to calm yourself down before you end up doing something you regret. It isn’t the time for that. We have to get Skye to the nearest hospital and dump Quinn off at the nearest SHIELD base for,”

“Let me kill him.”

“Excuse me?”

The flames quickly built back up in Grant’s eyes, “I-I wanna kill him.” he stated through clenched teeth, his entire body starting to shake. He started to push past May, “He can’t take her from me. I want him to _burn._ ”

“Grant, murdering him isn’t the solution. I want to hurt him as much as you, but that isn’t the solution. You,”

Grant’s body suddenly flared, causing May to jump back. The flames died down to reveal a sobbing Grant, smoke curling off of his now-charred tac gear. He sunk back down to the ground and pulled himself over to the SUV so he could lean back against it. Max was quick to paddle up to him and situate himself into the man’s lap.

Grant curled himself up around the shepherd as his body began to shake with violent sobs. May bit her lip, unsure of what to do or say. She wasn’t used to seeing Grant like this. For a long time, she knew him as the emotionless soldier who took orders without question. And for the past few weeks she had finally begun to see his true self thanks to Skye.

Skye was the first person in a long time that he could truly trust and she meant the world to him. Now that world was shattered and he was starting to unravel. May knew that it was only a matter of time before he completely lost control of himself due to the sheer grief.

“I-I don’t wanna lose her.” he hiccupped, tightly wrapping his arms around Max. Skye’s blood still stained his hands and he completely blamed himself. To him, it was all his fault. Skye could die because he wasn’t there.

“Grant, you love her, don’t you?” May whispered, slowly crouching down in front of the man.

She could see Grant move his head in a nod, but he didn’t look up at her nor did he verbally respond. He was growing quiet once more. And it was only a matter of time before he reverted back to his former self.

“She’ll be okay. I promise.” May continued. “It may take us moving a mountain, but we’ll save her. She’s not going to die on us.”

Grant’s head remained down and he no longer moved. May knew that he wouldn’t for a long time. Taking a sharp breath, she stood to her feet and knew that it was best that she left him alone. And besides, she needed some time to herself to truly begin to process what had happened. She left him without another word, hoping that she could slip past Coulson and Fitzsimmons. She knew that she couldn’t deal with them right now.

Everyone needed alone time right now.

And as May left the cargo hold, the only thing that could be heard was Grant’s sobs and the soft whirl of the hyperbaric chamber in the lab.

So as Skye’s life hung in the balance, Grant Ward fell silent once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And didn't quite expect it to go this way, I thought I'd have a major Grant freakout in here. But I guess not. Guess it'll come at the hospital. I guess you'll just have to see what happens. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	15. In These Scars, In This Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything comes crashing down.

“I’m here. That’s unacceptable. I need to speak to Director Fury immediately. Please.”

Fitz looked away uneasiness and grief settling deep in his gut, “I should’ve stopped her, you know.” he stated. “Why didn’t I?”

“As if you could stop Skye from doing anything that she’s set her mind to.” Simmons replied, taking a sharp breath. “You,”

“I shouldn’t have let her go after Quinn all by herself.” Fitz continued. “What… What was I thinking.”

“It’s not your fault.” Grant almost growled from his corner of the small waiting room. “She shouldn’t have been there. I’m… I’m her SO. It’s on me. It should be me. Not her.”

From the other side of the room, May sighed and bit her lip, trying to figure out just what to say to the three. Especially to Grant. Shaking her head, she turned towards them and took a step forward, “The one to blame is the man who shot her, Ian Quinn. He’s the one that’s responsible.”

“Yes, the message is that I have an agent dying.” Coulson’s voice echoed out around the room with a heavy and solemn tone. “We need help. I know that it’s not the best question to ask him, but we’re at a loss here.” Coulson hung the phone up and slammed it down with a thud. Looking around, he picked it back up before storming out of the room.

For the long, agonizing hours that followed, everyone remained in silence. No one truly knew what to say to one another, especially with Grant in the room. He sat curled up in a corner, his arms around Max as he stared vacantly off into the distance. Everyone knew that it was best to let him be. They didn’t want to know what would happen if he snapped. And it was something they really didn’t need right now.

Soon, a doctor slowly walked into the room, worry on her face. The sight of her caused everyone but Grant to immediately stand up and walk over towards her. Grant remained where he was, his glazed-over eyes looking blankly over to where the others were at.

“How is she?” Coulson asked, his voice only a mere whisper. “Is… Is she okay?”

The doctor sighed and shook her head, “Not good.” she stated simply. “The shots perforated her stomach and penetrated the large and small intestines. “We resected what we could, but… But there’s been too much damage.”

“So what’s next?”

“We can keep her comfortable, but you’ll need to make a decision on whether or not you want to keep her on life support.”

Grant immediately stood to his feet, causing Max to scamper off to the side. The numb grief that shone on his face quickly morphed into anger as he turned around, but he still remained silent. Fire started to blaze in his eyes, yet no one noticed.

“So… You’re saying that there’s nothing to be done?” Coulson croaked, his face falling.

The doctor remained silent for a moment, her silence giving them the answer they did not want. She sighed, “I’m saying you need to call her family and get them here as soon as possible.”

Coulson looked off to the side for a moment, unsure of what to say. He looked back up, “We’re her family.”

“I…” The doctor looked around the room before looking at Coulson once more, sympathy written into her features, “In that case, I’m very sorry.”

“No!”

Everyone in the room jumped at the sound of the shout. They turned to see Grant standing behind them, his body trembling as he took a shaky step forward.

“You’ve gotta do something!” he snapped, tears in his eyes. “Y-You gotta save her! I-I can’t lose her!”

The doctor blinked and raised her hands, her eyes widening as Grant’s pupils slowly turned a blazing orange. But she figured that it wasn’t her place to question it. It was SHIELD after all. “I’m sorry. But I’m saying that we’ve done everything that we could. There’s just,”

“There is a way!” he yelled, Max slowly approaching him. “There… There has to. I-I…”

His breaths started coming shallow and rapid, everything spinning all around him. He suddenly bolted forward and pushed past everyone, rushing into the hallway.

“I… I didn’t mean to.” the doctor began. “I,”

“It’s not your fault.” Coulson cut in, his throat growing dry. “He’s just taking this very badly.”

A small explosion suddenly echoed out, rumbling the ground beneath them.

Coulson’s face grew pale as he looked back to the others, looks of horror on everyone’s face, “Very, very badly.” He turned, “Shit. I’ve gotta go. May, you stay here with Fitzsimmons to work things out with the doctor. Max, you come with me.”

Coulson bolted out of the room, not waiting for anyone else to say anything. Max followed closely behind and the older agent was so glad that the dog was obedient.

_“Dammit. I should’ve sent him somewhere else for the time being so he wouldn’t end up hurting himself or anyone else. But I can’t keep him away like that. I’m just afraid of what the grief will do to him. He hasn’t felt that in a long time. I know that he hates losing people and this is probably worse than losing his friends._

_He’s a weapon of mass destruction, basically. That’s why Horizon tried to destroy his capability for emotions so they wouldn’t get in way. But they created a bomb. One that’s unable to control what he feels. His emotions get the best of him at times. And there’s no telling to what the grief will do to him.”_

Coulson stopped as he reached a line of guards, all staring at the burnt door of what probably had been a closet. He pushed his way through them, Max right on his heels, “I’m his SO.” he stated before anyone could ask. “I’ll deal with him. This is nothing to worry about.”

Taking a sharp breath, Coulson gently pushed his way into the closet, quietly closing the burnt door behind him the best he could. “Grant?” he called. “Son, are you okay?”

He stopped and looked, seeing a curled-up figure on the floor, flames burning softly off of him. A quick survey of the room showed that the interior had been all but destroyed by the force of Grant’s flames. _“Good. Seems like it was contained in here. Looks like it was just a janitor closet. Probably nothing of importance in here. As long as he didn’t hurt anyone, we should be fine. I know he hates hurting innocent people.”_

“Grant?” he called again, taking a cautious step forward. Max barked and went to go to Grant’s side, but Coulson stopped him with a gentle hand on his collar, “Wait. Not yet.” he ordered the young dog. “You don’t need to get hurt. Stay.”

Coulson received no answer from Grant, so he decided to go ahead and walk towards the man. “Grant, look, I can’t have you doing this. And you know that Skye wouldn’t want you like this, son.” he stated softly. He crouched down next to Grant, careful to avoid the flames burning off of him, “Can you hear me?”

“Go away.”

Coulson’s heart lurched at the sound of the sadness lacing Grant’s voice, “I understand why you’re so upset.” he quietly began. “You love her. You don’t want to lose her like your old friends. Trust me, none of us want to lose her. We’ll try something, I promise. I just can’t guarantee that it’s going to work.

She’s not like you, Grant. She can’t take two bullets to the stomach and have it heal a few minutes later. She’s human.” he continued. “And she needs our help. She needs your help. I don’t know what we can do, but I’m sure that there’s a way.”

Grant sniffled and slowly turned his head so he could see Coulson. His fiery eyes shined with tears as he remained silent. The flames snuffed out on him and he remained curled up on the ground. He never wanted to move. He didn’t want to be somewhere where Skye wasn’t. He didn’t want to be without her.

Coulson gave him his best smile, even though it was watery and weak, “We’ll find a way, I promise.” he stated softly, reaching out and helping Grant into a sitting position. He let out a low whistle to call Max over. The German shepherd barked happily and trotted over, pushing himself into Grant’s lap.

Grant’s arms immediately went around the dog’s body, burying his head into Max’s black fur. Coulson frowned as the man began to sob violently, the temperature fluctuating around them. He knew that it would be a huge task to get him back to the plane. And even if he could manage that, Grant would only lock himself away in his bunk. Grant was quickly reverting back to who he was before the team and Coulson hated it.

But, truly, Coulson couldn’t blame him. Grant had finally found someone he could actually love and trust. And that had all been violently ripped away from him.

_“It’s gonna be tough from here on out. I want to find a way to save her, but I have no idea how to. She’ll be on life support from now on. And if we can’t find anything, then she’ll die. I… I can’t let that happen. I can’t let an innocent person die. I already let her get hurt. I can’t let her die.”_

Coulson took a sharp breath and looked back to the sobbing Grant, knowing that it was best that he let him be. The man would cry himself to sleep sooner or later. Coulson would just have to get other agents to help him get him back to the Bus.

_“I’m sorry, Grant. I feel so helpless. I know how you feel. She’s dying and there’s nothing that we can do._

_We can’t even save one of our own.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, it ends with Grant needing yet another hug. Hopefully they find a way to save Skye soon, for everyone's sake. (I still have to figure that part out. Coulson didn't die here, so TAHITI won't come into play.) Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	16. If I Lose the World I Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things still go south.

(A Couple of Days Later)

Coulson wasted no time at all getting Skye transferred to a medical pod, which they could place into a special section in the Bus. He wanted her to be close as they sought out a cure for her in case anything happened to her. They all wanted to be there for her in case the worst-case scenario came to be. Which was the one thing they all knew could be highly likely in the coming days.

It had been about three days since her surgery and Skye hadn’t shown any signs of consciousness. Simmons suspected that she would probably never wake up. There had been far too much damage for Skye’s body to repair. The life support was barely keeping her alive as it was, and Coulson knew that all their actions were probably in vein. He just wished that a cure was out there somewhere.

As a result, everyone had fallen into a depressive state. No one hardly talked to one another and it was dead silence on the Bus, the shallow beeping of Skye’s heart monitor and the clanking of engines was all that could be heard.

May refused to leave the cockpit and Coulson wouldn’t leave his office, oh so desperately trying to find some way to save the young woman. Fitz constantly fiddled with tools and machinery in the lab. Simmons was in and out of the med pod, always trying to make sure that Skye was still alive.

And then there was Grant.

Grant refused to leave the chair by Skye’s bedside. He would sit for hours on end, unmoving, just staring at her unconscious form. He didn’t want to take his eyes off her because he was afraid that if he did that she would die. The blame for her being shot still hung heavy on his shoulders.

He wanted it to be him in the bed. At least he knew that he would heal from it. But, in this case, Skye wouldn’t heal like him. She didn’t have his regenerative abilities. As far as he knew, she was just a normal human being with no chance of survival. And that thought constantly drove him into the ground.

Like right now.

Grant’s eyes stayed locked onto Skye, his arms around Max. The shepherd hadn’t left his lap since Coulson managed to have one of the chairs from the lounge brought into the room so Grant could at least be comfortable. The only times the shepherd left the room was when Coulson came by every so often to take the dog to use the bathroom. His food and water were always brought into the pod.

 _“It should be me.”_ Grant thought, the statement echoing out in his head. _“I should be the one dying, not her. It’s my fault. I should’ve been there for her. The first person I let get near me in a long time and I get her killed. She’s dying because of me.”_

He brought Max closer to his body and tried to bury himself in the blanket that was wrapped around them, presumably by Coulson, _“She should be the one with the powers. Then we wouldn’t be in this mess. We’d be happy. And I’d hear her laughing again. What’s the use of powered blood when it’s the other person suffering?_

_I can’t… I can’t do this anymore. I don’t want her to die. I-“_

“Ward.”

Grant blinked and slowly looked over to see Fitz standing in the doorway, a tray of food in his hands. On closer inspection, Grant saw that it was some kind of sandwich and a bottle of water. He didn’t say anything as the engineer took a step into the pod.

Fitz motioned towards the tray with a nod of his head, “Coulson says you haven’t eaten today, I thought you might be hungry.” he stated meekly. He walked over and placed it down onto the small table that was next to Grant, “So I brought you something.”

Grant looked away, “Not hungry.” he mumbled. “What does it matter?”

“Ward, just because Skye’s sick doesn’t mean that you should neglect your own needs.” Fitz stated with a frown, pulling up a metal chair from a few feet away and sitting down. “She wouldn’t want that at all. She’d want you to take good care of yourself. I know it would hurt her to see you like this.”

“I don’t feel like it.” Grant muttered, lowering his head to try and shy away from Fitz. “Leave me alone.”

“I don’t think you need to be alone right now.” Fitz continued, crossing his arms. “No one needs to be. I know that I’ve been in the lab lately, but that’s because no one else will say anything. We’re… We’re all hurting.”

Grant remained silent and brought Max’s head closer to his chest.

Fitz sighed and looked towards Skye, “She’s fighting hard. I’m surprised that she’s made it this far with all of the damage.” he stated. “She’ll make it, though. It may take a while, but it’ll happen. We’ll find a way to save her.”

“How can you think that?” Grant croaked, not looking at Fitz. “She’s dying. No way around that.”

“I know it’s a tough situation, but I like to put at least a little light into it.” the engineer answered. “I believe that there’s always a way. It may not be visible, but it’s there.” He pointed at Grant, “It’s always there.”

“It’s still my fault. I needed to be there for her. She’s untrained. She shouldn’t be in the field.”

“It’s as much my fault as it is yours. But, truly, it’s all Quinn’s fault. He’s the one that shot her. Not me or you. We couldn’t help what happened. We’re… We’re not perfect. No one is. Not even a super soldier.

W-Grant, it’s not your fault.” Fitz continued, pushing the tray of food towards him. “Blame Quinn. He’s the one rotting in jail for what happened. It’s out of our hands now.”

Grant grew silent again, everything beginning to crash down around him once more. No matter what Fitz said, he’d still blame himself for years to come. He’d never forgive himself for what happened.

“Coulson’s trying.” Fitz stated, knowing that Grant wouldn’t say anything. “We’ll find a cure. I promise. It’s out there somewhere. He’ll it could even be right under our noses and we wouldn’t even know it. But we’ll find it.” He stood to his feet, “I’ll… I’ll leave you alone again. I figure that it’s best.”

The older man didn’t notice as Fitz left the room, everything growing cold and numb again. He continued to stare at Skye, that silent apology running over and over in his head.

He just wanted her to wake up. He wanted her to hug him again. He just wanted everything to go right for once.

Why couldn’t it all go right?

There was a part of Grant that feared things would somehow get worse. His stomach was growing cold just like the sandwich beside him.

He just wanted her to be safe. He just wanted her to talk to him again. Why couldn’t he have that? Why did she have to suffer like this? He knew that she didn’t deserve it. All he wanted was for her to wake up.

Why did he have to lose everything?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I threw a hint in there with what's to come. You'll have to be pretty sharp-eyed to see it. (Only two other people know what it is.) Have a guess? Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	17. You're the One Thing I Can't Lose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things continue to get worse.

(About Four Days Later)

Days passed and there was still no sign of Skye waking up. Everyone had begun to believe that there was no hope at all for her. Coulson couldn’t find any leads on a cure and as far as anyone knew, there was no coming back from what happened to her.

Sooner or later, the damage would do its toll on her body and then the only thing keeping her alive would be the machines that surrounded her. And Coulson didn’t want to keep Skye alive if there was nothing left of her to save. For right now, there was still enough brain activity to say that she was still technically ‘alive’, but not by much. It was only a matter of days before that ceased to be.

Everyone had lost hope, even Grant. The small kindling of hope that had been deep in his heart had long extinguished. He had begun to accept the fact that Skye wasn’t coming back, and he wasn’t taking it very well. No one was.

“I… I think we need to make a decision soon.” Coulson said quietly, in case Grant happened to come into the room, even though he knew that it wouldn’t happen. Grant still had himself camped out beside Skye’s side. “I can’t find anything and she’s getting weaker and weaker. We can’t keep keeping her alive like this. There’s not much left to save.”

“There isn’t at least _something_ out there?” Fitz asked angrily. “You’re saying that in this crazy world we live in, there isn’t at least one cure for her? There isn’t something that can bring her back?”

Coulson shook his head sadly and looked to his feet, “I know that it’s hard to accept, but I can’t find everything. I’ve exhausted my resources. Fury can’t find anything either.” he explained. “I’ve called everyone. No one knows of anything like that.”

“We can’t use anything, you know, Asgardian or whatnot?” Fitz continued, crossing his arms. “There isn’t,”

“We’re not doing that to her.” May cut in, her voice cold and hard. “We are not giving her anything alien. There’s… There’s no telling to what that would do to her. It’s better for nature to take its course.”

“May’s right, Fitz. We’ve had plenty of bad experiences with Asgardian things.” Coulson agreed. “I’m not putting anything alien into Skye’s body. I don’t think there’s any other options at this point.” He sighed and looked over to Simmons, “Jemma? Ideas?”

Simmons blinked and remained silent for a while, fighting the urge to burst into tears. “I-I’m clueless.” she stammered. “As much as I hate to say it, I have no idea of what to do. You’re right. She’s getting weaker and weaker and her body can’t hold out much longer. Her injuries already flared up this morning and there was some internal bleeding. I’m not sure of how it happened. But there’s just so much damage that couldn’t be repaired. I…. There’s no hope. I can’t do anything.” She turned away and grew silent.

Fitz’s face fell and he turned to lead Simmons off before she broke down in the middle of the galley, leaving Coulson and May to themselves.

“What do you think we should do?” Coulson asked quietly, looking at May. “I don’t want to make a rash decision if there _is_ a cure out there. But I don’t want her to suffer.”

“I say that we do need to come to a decision soon. She doesn’t need to suffer for much longer.” May answered. “She’s been in that coma for a week, Phil. We can’t keep her like this. A decision does need to be made soon.”

Coulson nodded numbly, “I’ll make one by the morning.” he replied. “I just need some more time. I especially need to get Grant to come to terms with things. I can’t believe we’re losing her already…. We failed her, May. We let an unexperienced rookie come onto this plane and we let her get killed.

This is our fault. It’s all our fault.”

 

* * *

 

(A Few Hours Later)

Grant’s eyes flew open as the sound of frantic beeping filled the air around him. He sprung to his feet, causing Max to scamper away, looking for the source. His eyes landed on the heart monitor and his stomach immediately froze over.

It was flatlining.

He didn’t even hear himself scream as he fell backwards, causing the chair to crash to the ground. Everything started to crash down around as he couldn’t breathe. He could hear others in the room, but he didn’t register what was going on.

“Simmons! What the hell is going on! Someone get Ward!”

“I-I don’t know, she’s flatlining! Fitz, help me out, please! I’ll do what I can. But… I don’t know what.”

Grant suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up to see Coulson crouching in front of him, “C-Coulson.” he stammered, tears starting to fall. “S-She…” He got choked up and couldn’t continue.

Coulson’s throat grew dry as he tried to ignore the scene behind him. He was barely keeping himself together as it was. He just hoped that Simmons could do something to keep her alive long enough for them to get to another SHIELD hospital. But he knew that there wasn’t much hope anymore.

Hope had gone out the window a long time ago.

“Simmons… She’s trying.” Coulson whispered, allowing Grant to wrap his arms around him. “Maybe it’s just a little bump.”

“She’s bleeding again! The stitches tore somehow! I-I… There’s too much blood! Coulson, help us get it cleaned up! May’s flying us to the closest base!”

Coulson froze over and he took a sharp breath, “Grant, things will be okay. I promise.” he stated quietly. “We’ll fix this, son. We’ll fix this.”

Grant broke down into violent sobs as Coulson quickly stood up and ran over to help the others. Max quietly slipped his way into the man’s arms to help calm him down. Now, Grant knew that Coulson was lying. There was nothing they could do. Skye was already so weak, she couldn’t afford to lose any blood.

“Fitz, hand me that needle! The blood’s stopped right now, I’ve got to close it up again before it starts back up! How did this happen?! How?! There was already internal bleeding this morning, how did it open back up?!”

“She’s lost too much blood, what are we supposed to do now?!”

“Shut up, let me work! I’ve got to get it closed first. Let me work!”

Grant began to shut everything else out around him, a trick that he had learned long ago. He didn’t want to listen to Skye die. He didn’t want to watch her slip away. That wasn’t something he could handle. He couldn’t lose another friend.

He had begun to trust and love her so much and that was all being violently torn away from him. Why did things have to happen to him like this? Skye didn’t deserve it and Grant knew that it was all his fault. He got her killed and there was nothing that he could do about it.

“There! Closed up! But she’s lost too much blood. We’ve got the things for a transfusion.” Simmons began, stepping away from Skye’s body and trying to ignore the blood that stained her hands. A small smile formed on her face as the heart monitor began to even out once more and Grant was suddenly jerked back into the present. “But we don’t know her blood type. We’ll need type O. We,”

“Use mine.”

“Huh?”

Everyone turned to see Grant standing with his fists clenched, “Use my blood.” he stated emotionlessly. “It’ll work.”

Coulson’s face fell, “Grant, we can’t do that. I already said we’re not using anything weird on her.” he stated. “Your blood is too screwed-up to use on her. We’re not using your blood.”

“You don’t have any other choice, do you?” Grant growled. “She’s dying anyways, so why can’t we risk it? So what if it does something to her? You… You’d rather her die?” His eyes flared, making Fitz jump.

“Grant,”

“Coulson, I know we talked about it. But, honestly, I don’t think she’ll make it until we get to a base. She needs the transfusion now.” Simmons stated, taking a step forward. “We don’t have any other choice. Ward’s type O, right? It’ll work. That’s what we need. His blood probably won’t do anything to her anyways. It’s probably too diluted of what gave him his powers for it to do anything to her. Again, we don’t have any other choice. She needs the blood. It’ll be enough to get her to the base.”

Coulson’s face fell and he frowned, “Fine. Do it. As long as she doesn’t die on us.” he answered coldly. “Do what it takes to save her.” He looked at Grant, “Maybe this will work. It better work. We can’t lose her. Not now.”

Grant looked at Simmons, “Do it. I’m ready.”

“Fine. Get that chair and pull it over her. It’s gonna take a while. Luckily, I know what to do.” Simmons ordered. “Just relax and let me work. Yeah, I don’t know what your blood will do to her. I haven’t thought of that. No one did. But it’s an idea. It’s a risk that I’m willing to take at this point.”

Maybe… Maybe this wasn’t all in vain after all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So they're going to use Grant's blood for the transfusion. And there's no telling to how that'll go. But I promise that it isn't going to be anything bad. I'm not going to do that to her. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	18. Chasing Your Echo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath...

(Sometime Later)

“I-I don’t understand it. She’s stable. Her brain activity is returning to normal. It’s a bloody miracle.”

Grant’s eyes slowly fluttered open as he began to register that people were talking around him. He groaned and sat himself up in the chair, rubbing his arm where Simmons had stuck the needle a few hours before for the transfusion. God, when did he fall asleep.

“What’s going on?” he slurred, looking around the room and lightly scratching at his beard. Everyone was crowded around Skye’s bed, staring at her for some reason. His stomach lurched, but he felt too tired to stand up, “What,”

Coulson turned around and approached him before he could continue, “She’s okay.” he finished for Grant. A small smile pulled at his lips, “She’s fine.”

Grant blinked and frowned, looking over towards Skye, “I… I don’t understand.” he stated groggily. “How?”

Simmons jumped up and spun around, amazement in her eyes, “Y-Your blood worked.” she stammered. “I didn’t think it would do anything other than provide for her enough blood until we got to the base.”

“Are we at the base?” Grant looked around and realize he didn’t recognize the room he was in. “When did we get here? Skye’s okay?” He was going back and forth between questions, so it was hard for the others to figure out just what to say to him.

With a sigh, Coulson nodded, “We got to the base about an hour ago. I had a few medical agents bring you in here because you were passed out due to the transfusion. Simmons had to take several pints of your blood just in case. You were sleeping it off.”

He paused and looked towards Skye, “And, amazingly, we think your blood brought her back from the brink.” he continued. “No one understands it and the medical staff are wanting to run about a dozen different tests.”

Grant cringed at the word ‘tests’. He hated medical tests. Hell, he was surprised that he didn’t freak out at the sight of the transfusion needle earlier.

“No. Don’t do that.” he stated. “Don’t want her through that.”

“Grant, we have to make sure that she’s okay. We don’t know what all your blood did to her.” Coulson answered quietly. “And it’s nothing too serious. There’s still no signs of her waking up anytime soon, so she’ll still be unconscious through it all. It won’t put her through any kind of pain.”

Grant swallowed and slowly stood, shakily walking over to Skye’s bedside. His heart skipped a few beats at the sight of her. She actually _looked_ healthy. Her skin wasn’t as pale and her heat signature was much stronger than it had been. He really hadn’t thought of what his blood had the potential of doing. He just knew that he had been the right type.

“She looks… _Good_.”

“Ward, your blood… It’s amazing. It’s like it accelerated her body’s healing properties tenfold.” Simmons started to explain. “Now, again, we’re not sure of what else it could’ve done, but considering she’s still unconscious, it couldn’t have had been too much.” She paused and looked over to Coulson, “Just what is in his blood, sir?”

“That’s highly classified.” Coulson answered without looking. “Only a few know of what was in the serum that gave Ward his powers. I’m not allowed to talk about it. All I can say is that it was a practical cocktail of varying things. That’s why I’m surprised that Skye seems to be okay. That’s why I was so hesitant to let Ward use his blood for the transfusion.”

“But it worked, didn’t it?” Fitz asked. “I don’t see why we have to be so damn worried. She seems fine. Yeah, she’s unconscious, but she looks okay. She looks healthy. I don’t see her reacting to whatever was in Ward’s blood.”

Grant froze as memories suddenly flashed through his head and he had to hold onto the railing of the bed to keep himself upright. He squeezed his eyes shut as he could see his friends dying in front of him, blood pouring from their eyes and he couldn’t do a single thing to help them. The memories flashed and then it was Skye laying there on the lab floor, blood covering her face. He moaned and shook his head, violently coming back to the present as someone placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Grant, son…”

He looked over to see Coulson worriedly looking at him. Grant just shook his head and pulled away from him, “It’s nothing. I’m fine. She’s fine. I just know it.” he muttered. “She feels okay. Nothing weird.”

May frowned, “What do you mean by that?” she asked. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

Coulson looked at Grant before looking back at May, “He can sense the heat signatures of other people.” he began. “That’s probably what he’s talking about. I’m not going to pry. If he doesn’t want to explain, then he doesn’t have to.”

“That’s what I meant.” Grant answered, looking down at Skye, watching the gentle rise and fall of her chest. “She feels normal. She feels healthy. There’s something a little off, but it’s nothing big. I wouldn’t worry about it. I think that she’s okay. She just needs to wake up.”

“Now, I imagine she won’t wake up for another few days.” Simmons stated matter-of-factly. “She’s been through hell and back. At least… At least we can breathe easier now. I think everything’s going to be okay from here on out.” She turned towards Grant, “And you need to get some proper rest. Dozing off for a few hours in a chair isn’t going to cut it. You just had several pints of blood removed. Superhuman or not, you need to sleep in an actual bed to recover.”

Grant shook his head and didn’t move, “No. I’m not leaving her side.” he stated firmly. “I want to be here when she wakes up.”

“Grant, that could be days from now.” Coulson sighed and shook his head, “Son, you need to rest. Skye wouldn’t want you hanging yourself out to dry like this. Take care of yourself. I can arrange to have a big meal brought to you. Eat and go sleep for a few hours. Skye will be okay. We’ll be here watching over her.”

“I don’t want to leave her. I’m not going.”

Coulson sighed and ran his hands through his hair. He turned to face Simmons, “You think we could possibly get it arranged to get another bed in here?” he asked. “Considering that sooner or later, if he doesn’t eat, he’ll probably need an IV due to the blood loss.”

Simmons shrugged, “Probably. I can go check.” She looked at Fitz, “Come on, Fitz, let’s go see what we can find. Okay.”

“Sure.”

Coulson looked back at Grant as the two scientists left the room, “Will you sleep if we bring a bed or something in here?” he asked. “We can probably put it right next to Skye, if that’s what you would like. Will you at least do that?” He hated dealing with Grant when he was like this. It felt like dealing with a five year old.

“I guess.” Grant mumbled as he drug the chair over to Skye’s side and sat down, allowing Max to lay at his feet. “I just wanna be next to her.”

Nodding, Coulson looked briefly over to May before looking back to Grant, “I think everything will be okay, Grant.” he stated quietly. “We’ll just have to wait. But, I think you saved her life. She’ll be grateful.”

Grant took a long breath and reached out, gently taking Skye’s hand. He carefully pressed his lips to the back of her hand and nodded, “I don’t wanna lose her.” he mumbled. “I want her to be okay. I lost everyone else. I don’t want her to go, too.”

Coulson’s heart twinged at the thought. Truly, he had all that Grant had had for the past fifteen years. So, he didn’t blame the man for being so protective of Skye. Grant didn’t want her suffering the same fate that his nine friends had suffered oh so long ago. He just didn’t want to lose her and Coulson knew that the weight on Grant’s shoulders had been lifted.

“I… I love her.

I don’t want her to die.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So she's okay! Now all that's left is for her to wake up and then the story can move on! So hopefully things will get better. Maybe. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	19. I Bleed, I Bleed for Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start to truly clear up.

(About Three Days Later)

Grant’s eyes slowly began to flutter open as he sensed movement from beside him. He had fallen asleep with his head rested on the bed right next to Skye’s body. He had refused to sleep in the bed that other agents had brought in for him; he wanted to be right next to Skye at all times. So being in a separate bed was a no go with him. 

“Hmmm. Grant?”

With the sound of the voice, Grant shot up and looked to see Skye weakly smiling up at him. Her face was pale and there was nothing but weakness shining in her eyes, but she still managed to give him that smile.

“S-Skye?” Grant stammered, almost unable to get the words out of his mouth. “Y-You’re awake!”

“Huh, yeah… Guess I am…” Skye croaked. She went to sit up, but Grant immediately pushed her back down.

“No, not supposed to be up yet.”

“Why?” She slowly looked around the room, noticing that Grant and Max were the only ones in there. Max looked up at her from the floor, his tongue hanging out and his tail wagging about a hundred miles an hour. “What happened?”

Grant blinked and sat back down in the chair, “You… You don’t remember?” he asked. “What’s the last thing that you do?”

Skye’s face scrunched up and she leaned her head back into the pillows, “I remember Quinn…. And Mike…”

“Huh?” Grant’s face fell. “Mike? Like Mike Peterson?”

“Yeah, but his leg was all weird. Robotic. Then… Quinn had a gun.” She grunted and noted a sharp pain in her abdomen. She then looked at Grant with fear shining deep within her eyes, “Grant, did I get shot?”

Grant’s throat grew dry and he nodded weakly, “Y-Yeah.Twice in the stomach. We… We almost lost you. You’ve been unconscious for little over a week. But you’re alright now. You’re good.”

“How am I alright if I got shot  _ twice _ , Grant?” Skye asked hoarsely. She slowly reached down and pulled up her shirt, frowning as she only saw two bright pink, star-shaped scars. “Why… Why is it already healed?”

“I-I… It’s hard to explain. Something happened a few days ago and you were losing a l-lot of blood.” Grant stammered, completely unsure of how to explain what had happened. “You needed a transfusion.”

“We had to use Grant’s blood.”

Both Grant and Skye looked up to see Coulson standing in the doorway, a huge smile on his face. “Oh, thank God.” he breathed, coming into the room and standing at the foot of Skye’s bed. “It’s been a long week. But you look much better.”

Skye scoffed, “I must look like crap.” she stated. “I’ve been out for over a week and no showers?”

“I’ve seen worse.” Grant stated, trying to lighten the situation.

“Wow, thanks Grant.”

Grant blushed and scratched the back of his head, “N-No, I mean, you look better than when you were dying.”

Skye laughed slightly, leaning back into the pillows, “Swinging and a-missing, Grant.”

“Y-You look better.”

Coulson shook his head, “But, seriously, it was a long road to get here. But I’m glad that you’re better. I need to go tell the others that you’re awake and get a doctor to check you out. We, uh, had to use some unusual methods.”

“You said you used Grant’s blood. What the hell does that mean?” Skye looked coldly at Coulson, but didn’t move. She was still too weak to really move around. 

“We were in a panic. He’s type O, so we needed to use his blood for the transfusion considering that we don’t know what your type is.” Coulson began to explain. 

“But isn’t his blood powered? What the hell does that mean for me?”

“We have no reason to believe that his blood did anything adverse to you.” the older agent answered. “As far as the doctors can tell, all it did was accelerate your healing factor and heal your injuries. You’ll still need to rest for a while, but you’re healed. The doctors will still do a few tests in order to see if the blood didn’t do anything else to you.”

Skye looked over to Grant before looking straight back to Coulson, “I’m not going to be a super soldier, am I?” she asked. “Because I don’t know how I’ll feel about that.”

Coulson laughed slightly, “Other than a few residual amounts of some various materials in your blood, nothing’s changed. Your blood doesn’t match Grant’s at all.” he explained. “Simmons believes that you’ll be fine. It’s just that Grant’s blood being in your system accelerated your healing rate. But she said she wouldn’t be surprised if you showed a temporary increase in your strength levels. But nothing in comparison to Grant, though. Overall, you should be fine.”

“God, it just feels like I need a long nap.” Skye groaned, looking up at the ceiling. Even though she was freaked out by the fact that some of Grant’s blood was now in her body, she was glad that he practically saved her life. But she wasn’t sure of how to approach that notion with him. 

“You’ve been asleep for over a week.” Grant stated matter-of-factly. “I don’t see how you could sleep more.”

“I’m pretty sure that was a coma, Grant. That’s different than just me sleeping. Don’t go all SO on me.You better not be making me train in the morning or anything.”

Grant blinked, “Why would I do that? You just got shot a week ago.” He tilted his head slightly, “I wouldn’t make you strain yourself for at least another two weeks or so. And that would be at a minimum.”

Skye sighed and slowly sat up, managing to prop herself up on the pillows, “It’s a joke, Ward. You still don’t have a sense of humor , do you?”

“I don’t understand.”

“Of course you don’t.”

Coulson just shook his head, “I’ll leave you two alone for a bit. I’ll go get the others and one of the doctors.” he stated, turning around to leave. “Give me just a few minutes or so.”

Skye turned to look at Grant as soon as Coulson left the room. She studied him for a bit, taking in his ragged complexion, “Grant, did you even leave that chair since I got in here?” she asked. “You’re a mess. You need to shave that mess of a beard.”

Grant gently touched his beard, “It’s not that bad.” he stated. “And… And I didn’t want to leave you. I was afraid that something was going to happen to you.”

She blushed slightly, “But I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Doesn’t erase the fact that you almost died. I should’ve been there. I wasn’t there like a SO should be and you almost got killed.” he stated coldly, lowering his head. “It’s my fault.”

“Grant. Don’t. It’s not your fault. It’s Quinn’s.” Skye immediately replied, giving him a caring look. “Don’t blame yourself like this. And I’m fine. I’m still alive. You don’t have to worry about anything.”

“Still,”

She looked at him and frowned, managing to sit up in the bed a little bit more. “Come here.” she stated, slightly scooting over and patting the space beside her. “I want you right here.”

Grant blinked, “I don’t think there’s enough room for me. I’m like three times the size of you.”

“And I don’t care.” she retorted. “I almost died and now I want close company.” She scooted over some more to where she was against the railing. “I want you right here.”

Grant didn’t complain. He slowly got up and ordered Max to lay down by the chair before carefully sliding into the bed right next to Skye. He was extremely careful not to accidently hit her or anything of the such.

“Grant, I’m not fragile, you know.”

“Yeah, but you were seriously hurt and I can lift over 800 pounds or so. Maybe over a ton if I’m trying. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Skye scoffed, “You won’t hurt me. I know you.” She gingerly reached out and took his hand, threading her fingers with his. “You’re not capable of that.”

Grant looked down and a slight smile pulled at his lips, “At… At least  _ someone  _ doesn’t think I’m dangerous.”

“Of course you’re not. You’re just a little different, that’s all.” Another smile pulled at her lips, “And you know what?”

Grant frowned, “What?”

She reached up and connected her lips with his. Grant’s skin immediately heated up with the contact. Skye leaned back and smiled, seeing Grant’s face turn a bright red.

“Thank you.”

“Huh?!” Grant choked out, fighting to find his words. “F-For what?”

“You saved my life. No matter the method. Thanks.” She smiled again, “I guess I’d be dead if it wasn’t for you.”

Grant swallowed, the blush on his face still a bright red, “I-It’s nothing. I’m supposed to save people.”

“You gave up some of your own life to save me, Grant. That’s different. That’s a real sacrifice.”

“I didn’t want to lose you. Not like how I lost everybody else.”

Skye nodded and tightened her hold on his hand, “Looks like you stopped that.” She nuzzled into his body, enjoying his warmth, “But thank you. It means a lot.” She paused before speaking again, “Oh, and, Grant?”

“Huh?”

“I guess that now’s the best time to say this, but… I do love you. Guess it takes almost dying for me to truly realize that.”

The blush on Grant’s cheeks brightened even more, “Y-You do?” he stammered. “Really?”

Skye smiled and nodded, “Yeah.”

His throat grew dry and he licked his lips,  _ “Say it, Grant. You’ve told Coulson this, why can’t you tell her? She’s right there. You have the chance.” _

“I-I…” He paused, only going on when Skye nudged him in the side.

“I think I love you, too” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Skye's awake and Grant's just the biggest dork ever! Now things start to calm down. For now. But some calm is good, right? Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	20. I Feel a Change in the Air

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time begins to move on.

(Two Days Later)

“Skye, be careful. You don’t need to strain yourself.”

“I’m just going up the stairs,  _ Ward. _ I appreciate that you’re being very watchful over me, but I’m not going to hurt myself just going up the stairs.” Skye stopped and turned to look at Grant just as they got inside of the galley, “I’ll be fine. I promise.”

“Yeah, it’s just that you just out of the hospital a few hours ago. I’m surprised that Coulson’s not making me carry you up the stairs.” Grant’s eyes ghosted over her body, “You went through a lot, Skye. I’m just worried. That’s all.”

Skye gave him a soft smile and gently pulled up the hem of her shirt to reveal her fresh scars, “It’s healed, Grant. You don’t have to worry.” she stated simply. “Your blood did wonders. I don’t think that you have to worry about the wounds opening up or anything. I’m just weak. I just need to get back on my feet and fall back into a good routine.”

Grant took a sharp breath and nodded, “I suppose you’re right. We’ll start with the therapy exercises that the doctors gave you in the morning. I won’t wake you up as early as I usually do. But we need to start getting back into our old routine.” he explained. “Maybe 7:30 in the morning.”

She gave a very audible groan as Grant led her to the couch, “Really? I almost died and you’re getting me up at the ass crack of dawn?” she asked incredulously. She shot him a smirk as they sat down on the couch, seeing that he had rolled his eyes, “Can’t I just sleep for a while?”

“It’s better to fall into a healthy routine to let your body continue to heal.” Grant stated, smiling slightly as Skye threaded her fingers with his. “Sleep may be good, but you need to get a proper amount of it, though. Then the exercise comes in and you don’t need to eat a lot of junk. You gotta do what’s best for your body.”

“Alright, Robot. But at least give me today to do whatever I want. I want cake. I’m sure that we have some mix in here.”

Grant raised an eyebrow, “Cake? Really.” He snorted slightly, “You’re so predictable. But I’ll let this slide. But only this time.”

A smile pulled at Skye’s lips, “And you’re gonna help me make it.” she stated, poking him gently in the chest. “We’ll make that cake together.”

Grant blinked, “I have no idea how to bake anything.” he stated matter-of-factly. He looked down to Max, who laid at his feet. “So you’ll probably do most of the baking.”

Skye’s mouth pretty much fell open, “You’re a highly-intelligent super solider and you have no idea how to bake?”

He shrugged, “I spent ten years in a secret lab, Skye. Then the next fifteen years I’m in SHIELD. Never really had a chance to learn how to cook.”

“Then I’ll have to teach you sometime.”

“I guess so.”

“That’ll have to have to wait, you two.”

Both Grant and Skye frowned as they looked up to see Coulson coming into the galley from his office. Max jumped up and barked excitedly, immediately sitting down by Grant’s feet.

Grant cocked his head, “I thought we had the day off, sir.” he said, watching as the older agent came closer and sat down in the chair a few feet away from them. “I thought that we were taking off tomorrow.”

Coulson nodded, “Yeah, let me rephrase that. You can cook whatever you were planning to in a while. I just want to talk for a bit.” He looked over to Skye, “You feeling okay?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Skye rubbed at her side. The skin around the surgery scars was numb and felt weird, but that was about it for the moment. “Just tired. A little sore. Trying to convince Grant not to go all SO on me in the morning.”

“You have to start training sometime. And that has to start with your physical therapy.”

“You sound just like him.”

Coulson shrugged, “He had to get his mentality from someone.” he replied. “But, yet, I wasn’t in operations, so I never had to train like he did.” He looked over to Grant, “He just wants the best for you. That’s all.”

“I know that, he’s just a little obsessive when it comes to training.” Skye shot him a mock glare. “I think he needs to tone it down a little.”

Grant just stared at her and remained silent, not really sure of what she was getting at.

“He’s got a lot of energy to burn, so he always has to train to burn that off. There’s no one that has more energy that him. He just doesn’t show it most of the time. Be glad that you have someone like him to train you. He puts a hell of a lot dedication into what he does. And he’s doing that with you.” Coulson smiled as Skye scooted closer to Grant and a slight blush appeared on the gifted’s cheeks. “He wants you to succeed. And it’s a long way to becoming an agent, especially with your atypical case. He wants you to get there as fast as possible.”

Skye took a breath, “It just seems like a lot, you know.” she stated. “Sometimes I think that I can’t do it.” 

“I thought the very same thing when I was in the Academy. Yeah, the cadet with a genius-level IQ, fire powers, and super soldier abilities had issues.” Grant swallowed and slowly shook his head, “I had never been around many people before. There was a lot of pressure on me and it cracked me. There were times that I wanted to quit. It was hard.

Even though I had the biggest advantage, it was tough.” he continued. “The pressure is what gets you. You’re trying to build yourself up to be someone great. It takes a lot out of you. You… You just have to keep pushing forward.”

“Grant says it perfectly. SHIELD has a lot of standards that you have to live up to. It takes a lot to do it, but you’ll be able to do it once you’re back into training shape. We all got to get back into line after what happened.” Coulson stated. “Life has to go back to as close to normal as it can be.”

“So did everything stop when I got shot?” Skye asked, trying to move the subject on. “Did you guys just stop working because of me?”

“Basically. We tried to search for a cure, but that was about all we did. We were too worried about you. We couldn’t keep our normal lives knowing that you were dying. We couldn’t leave you behind.”

“You didn’t have to do that, you know.” Skye sighed, “You all should get back to work. I’m better now. You’re right. It’s time to get back to normal.”

Coulson nodded slowly, “I plan on doing that. We’ll be heading out on a mission in a few days, but I called in some extra help since I figure that Grant will be staying behind to help you out.”

Grant blinked, “Sir, what are you talking about?” he asked. “Help? What kind of help?”

“An old colleague of mine and his own rookie.” the older agent replied. “He was more than glad to help us considering everything that happened.”

“Who?”

“You know him, Grant. You two have met before. 

You don’t remember John Garrett?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I'm really moving it on, aren't I? But I'm still trying to follow canon as close as possible, so Garrett has to come in sometime. But what does he want here? And I know that this is short, but blame my knee. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	21. I Bleed for Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant and Skye have some downtime before Garrett arrives.

“Who’s John Garrett?”

Grant blinked and looked over to Skye just as Coulson left them alone, “Short answer? He’s Coulson’s old friend from his beginning years in SHIELD.” he answered, an uncomfortable tone in his voice. “Something like that. They did quite a few missions together.” He looked away, “I don’t like him, though. He looks at me funny and acts weird around me. So I don’t like him. I don’t like to be around him.”

“Then why does he want to come?”

“I dunno. I haven’t seen him lately, so it’s kind of weird that he suddenly wants to come. But I guess he wants to help considering everything we’ve been through. And I don’t want to leave you to go on any missions without you. So I’m out of commission until you’re better.”

Skye frowned and gently leaned into Grant’s side, “You know, you don’t have to drop everything just because I’m out of the game right now.” she stated. “You gave up so much while I was in that coma, you can’t keep giving up your job. Grant, it’s time for you to go back to work.”

He looked away, watching Max out the corner of his eye, “This _is_ my job.” he stated simply. “I’m your SO, I’m not supposed to let you be on your own. Especially when you’re recovering from an injury. It’s an SO’s job to be there for their rookie.”

“But not every SO is in love with their rookie.”

A light blush quickly covered Grant’s cheeks, but he didn’t look towards her, “That doesn’t matter. I’m supposed to be here for you no matter what.”

“Is that the SO in you talking or is that my overprotective boyfriend talking?” Skye smiled and raised an eyebrow as Grant’s head whipped towards her. She laughed slightly at the confusion in his eyes.

“Uh, boyfriend? Is… Is that what I am?”

“What else am I supposed to call you?” Skye asked with another laugh. “We’re dating after all, aren’t we? Hell, we’ve kissed a couple of times since the other day. You’ve got another name for what you are then?”

The blush on Grant’s cheeks intensified in color right as he looked away from her, a loss for words. He still had some trouble processing the fact that he and Skye were actually together. But he was so glad that she was so good towards him. He really hadn’t had anyone like that other than Coulson for a very long time.

Skye laughed again and shook her head, looking down towards Max, who was now fast asleep at Grant’s feet, “Of course you’re my boyfriend, Grant. You wouldn’t be anything else other than that.” she stated. She gently reached out and took his hand, “And don’t worry, I’ll be sure to remind you of that every chance I get. If that’s what you want. I know that you probably have a hard time believing this all.”

Grant slowly nodded his head, “It’s… It’s kind of weird to think that someone actually likes me the way you do.” he answered. “I’m not used to that. Sorry if I seem a little weird about it.”

“Grant, you don’t have to apologize about that. I understand. You’re trying your best, okay? There’s nothing that you’ve got to be sorry about. You can’t help it.”

“I know. It’s just that,”

“No, there’s nothing.” Skye stated, interrupting him with a finger to his lips. “How about we just drop this here, okay? Before things get too uncomfortable for you. Alright?”

“I guess.” Grant looked around the room. “We have a while before Garrett shows up. What do you want to do? Do you still want that cake?”

Skye looked up towards the ceiling, “Nah, kind of lost the motivation to do so.” she answered. “I’m getting tired and I want to sleep. I want my nap before you throw my ass right back into training.”

“Rest is good, Skye. You’re still healing.”

“Then, good. You agree with me taking a nap for an hour or two.”

Grant furrowed his eyebrows, “Then go take one.”

Skye lightly poked him in the side, “And you’re gonna take it with me.”

“Huh? There’s no room in the bunks for the both of us.”

“We’ll make it work.” Skye stated firmly, looking over towards the small bunks. “I’ll be right against you, so that frees up space.”

Grant swallowed, “What about Max?” he asked, his voice quiet. “He likes to be right near me and there isn’t space on the floor for him to sleep. I don’t want him to sleep outside of the bunk.”

“Grant, it’s just for a small nap. We can crack the door open so he can get inside in case you need him for any reason whatsoever.” she began to explain. “I think you can be without him for just a bit. He’ll be right there with you when you wake up. And I know that you’ll need him whenever that Garrett guy gets here since you don’t like him.”

“I…” Grant looked down towards the sleeping shepherd, knowing that Skye was right. He was just too afraid to not have Max with him, especially after the past two weeks. He knows that he can deal with not being with Max while on a mission, but things were different this time. The entire situation with Skye had made him afraid to be alone again.

She gently squeezed his hand, “You’ll be fine, Grant.” she pretty much whispered. “And you deserve some time to just rest and relax. We’ve all been through hell and back. It’s just time to rest before things somehow get hectic again.”

Grant slowly nodded and rose to his feet, disturbing Max and causing the dog to scamper off to the side, “I… I guess that you’re right.” He trailed off slightly and shook his head again, “I just need some time to take a breather or something. I’m just afraid of things going wrong if I let my guard down for just even a second. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to rest.”

Skye stood up and carefully wrapped an arm around Grant’s torso, “I think you can rest now, Grant.” she stated quietly. “You’re in a safe place now. I’m okay. We’re all okay. I don’t see how things can get worse. Knock on wood. We all just need a break for a while. Maybe once I’m better in a couple of weeks, everything can go back to normal. I guess that we all just need some normal right now, right?”

“Yeah.” Grant gently pulled from her and shakily took her hand. He was still nervous about making his own physical contact with her. He was getting better with having her touch him. But he was still far from having her do anything more than gentle touches or kisses.

“I mean, I don’t know how normal things can be, but I’d at least like things to be a little calmer.” he continued. “I want normal missions again. I just want your average assassination mission again. Things like that.”

“Only you would say something like that, Grant.” Skye stated with a laugh as Grant slowly led her towards his bunk. He preferred to sleep in his own bunk; he really wasn’t sure to why though. “I don’t think I would call an assassination ‘average’.”

Grant shrugged, “It’s all that I know.” he stated. “It’s normal for me.”

“Then I think it needs to become unnormal for you at some point.” Skye answered, allowing Grant to get into the bunk first and then following him in. She watched as Grant ordered Max to stay outside of the bunk as she slipped into the bed and into Grant’s arms. “You can’t do this for the rest of your life.”

“I know that, but it’s all that I know how to do. I can’t exactly drop it and do something else.”

“I’m sure that you’ll be able to move away from all of this someday. It may take some time, but you can do it.” She smiled as Grant’s arm slightly tightened around her. “Maybe one day.”

“Yeah…”

Honestly, Grant knew that was what he wanted, but he also knew that he wouldn’t be able to get that for a long time now. Not for several years or so. But he did want normality for once, even if he couldn’t get that right now. And he knew that it wouldn’t come right now.

He had a strong feeling that something bad was about to come.

Something really bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the little bit of a wait on this. I had a lot of homework to do every night for the past few nights, so I didn't have time to update. But I hope that this was good enough before the next storm comes! Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	22. The Singularity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garrett arrives.

(A Few Hours Later)

Grant looked up nervously as the sound of a jet attaching to the top of the Bus rang out. His heart felt like it was slowly climbing its way into this throat, and he had no idea to why he felt this way. He knew that he didn’t like or trust Garrett one bit, but why was he  _ this  _ apprehensive about the entire situation? And it wasn’t like anyone would be able to understand his fear, they would just write it off as his anxiety acting up.

But Grant usually trusted gut instincts like this, especially when it came to people like Garrett. There really wasn’t a reason for him to come ‘visit’ like this; Grant knew that Garrett wasn’t the charitable type of person. So Grant knew that something had to be up, he just had no idea to what it possibly even could be.

He blinked and shook his head when he could feel Skye gently squeeze his hand. 

“Grant, I don’t know why you’re so afraid.” she stated lightly. “He’s just coming to help, right?”

“I… I can’t explain it, Skye.” Grant began, eyes drifting towards the spiral stairs that led towards the top of the plane. “It’s just a gut feeling, I don’t know. But it’s different from my usual fear. This time, I can feel that something’s  _ wrong. _ ”

Skye frowned and looked over to him, “What do you mean?”

“That’s the thing. I don’t know. I just can tell it. I wish that I knew what was going on, but I don’t. That just means that we need to watch Garrett carefully while he’s here. Again, I can’t explain it.”

“Then you need to tell Coulson.”

“Garrett’s one of Coulson’s closest friends, Skye.” Grant answered, almost coldly. “I may be like a son to Coulson, but he isn’t just going to drop Garrett like that. It’ll take a hell of a lot to convince him that something’s wrong here. I can’t believe that he doesn’t find it strange that Garrett wants to suddenly ‘visit’.” He took a sharp breath, feeling the heat starting to build within his chest, “Coulson’s not going to believe what I say.”

“Maybe everything will be okay, maybe you’re just afraid for no reason.”

“I don’t think it’s for no reason….” He trailed off as he sensed two new heat signatures begin to descend down the stairs, followed by Coulson’s. He tensed up and turned around to see Garrett and some other agent that he didn’t recognize come into view. 

Coulson nodded and came out from behind Garrett once they made their way into the galley, stopping when they got in front of Grant and Skye. “Grant, you remember Garrett. Skye, this is John Garrett, an old friend of mine.” he stated. Grant didn’t know why he was doing introductions like this, since the older agent had explained Garrett to Skye a few hours earlier. “Grant, Skye,” Coulson pointed at the newcomer, “This is Agent Antoine Triplett, Garrett’s current rookie.”

Triplett gave them a bright and beaming smile, nodding at them as he did so. Garrett put on a smile that Grant could tell wasn’t fully sincere as he turned to look at him. 

“Long time, no see, Agent Ward.” Garrett stated, reaching out to shake Grant’s hand. Grant just stared at the man’s hand, causing Garrett to frown and pull his hand back. “Sorry, forgot that you weren’t the physical contact kind of guy.” His eyes strayed downwards towards Max, who sat right next to Grant’s feet. But he didn’t say anything about the dog. 

_ “Skye’s the only one allowed to touch me.”  _ Grant thought, glowering at the older agent.  _ “And that’s only because she’s gentle.” _

Coulson cleared his throat to quickly end the awkward quietness, “Well, hopefully that’ll change sometime in the future.” he stated. “It’s still a working problem.”

Garrett nodded and turned his unsettling gaze onto Skye, “And this must be the lucky girl.” he stated cooly, something in his tone sending a chill down Skye’s spine. “It’s not everyday when someone gets to beat death’s hand. And you look pretty well, considering everything that happened.”

“Yeah, it… It was a lot.” Skye replied, getting slightly closer to Grant’s side. “Good thing I don’t remember any of it. But I had a lot of good people fighting for me. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them. Especially Grant.”

“It’s rare for a miracle such as that to happen. Again, not everyone can beat death at his job.”

Skye blinked, realizing that Garrett didn’t know about what really cured her. She supposed that Coulson wanted to keep the healing power of Grant’s blood a secret for now. That probably wasn’t something that the older agent wanted to be common knowledge. Even Grant’s status as an enhanced being was kept under lock and key.

“I guess luck’s on my side.”

Coulson smiled slightly and nodded, “It sure it.” He looked between the group, “Again, Garrett and Triplett are here to help us as we try to get back to normal. We’ll need a few more hands on deck, especially since Ward will be on a vacation more or less until Skye’s a hundred percent. Losing his help is akin to losing five or so men. This’ll help.”

Garrett gave another small nod, “Well, we’re glad to help. Anything to help out an old friend.” he stated. He looked at Coulson, “Didn’t you say there were a few things you wanted to go over with me?”

“Yeah, I did.” Coulson replied, beginning to turn around. “Agent Triplett, you can stay here and chat with Skye and Ward while we’re busy. There probably won’t be a mission for a couple of days.”

And with that, Coulson disappeared with Garrett and Triplett turned to face Grant and Skye. 

“So you’re the infamous Grant Ward I’ve heard all about.” the man stated, giving Grant another beaming smile.

Grant shied away and began to hide behind Skye, remaining silent as Max pressed up against his leg. He didn’t like meeting strangers like this at all. Missions he could do, but intimate meetings like this were far out of his league.

“He, uh, has a few anxiety problems.” Skye spoke up, trying to get the conversation going. “I don’t think he’ll say anything to you until he realizes that he can trust you. It… It might be a while.”

Triplett raised his hands and backed up a step, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you or anything. But I can assure you that you can trust me, Agent Ward.” he stated lightly, his voice sincere. “I have no reason to hurt you at all. I’m just here to help.”

Skye smiled, “Well, we… We appreciate it. It’ll probably take us a while to really get back to normal.” she began to explain. “I guess me getting shot really threw everyone for a loop. It takes a good while to come back from something like that.”

“You know, you guys look like a really great team, so I imagine that things will get back to normal very soon for y’all.”

“Yeah, I hope so.” Skye’s eyes drifted to Grant and took in the haunted look in his eyes as he tried to avoid Triplett’s gaze. His eyes flickered to where Garrett was with Coulson. Grant’s warning about Garrett still weighed heavy on Skye’s mind.

“I really hope so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And sorry for the wait, but school caught up with me. And I know that it's such a short chapter, but my legs are killing me and this is the most that I could manage. But I hope that it was still good! Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	23. What's It All For?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant and Skye find out about a possible mission.

(Two Days Later)

Grant looked up with a frown as the bathroom door opened and Skye shoved her way into the small space. He blushed and quickly turned around, making sure that his towel was on tight. “Skye! I’m almost naked here!” he hissed, turning back around and glaring at her. “Can’t I have a little privacy?”

Skye raised an eyebrow, “Grant, we’re dating. Me seeing you half-naked shouldn’t bother you.” she stated matter-of-factly. “And you work out without a shirt on. How is this any different?”

“I-I’m in the bathroom!” The blush on his cheeks grew even more. “I could’ve been naked!”

She smiled at the fact that Grant was basically acting like an embarrassed little boy. Yeah, she knew that she really didn’t need to be barging in the bathroom when her SO was inside, but she really didn’t care. She knew that it really wasn’t hurting him.

She shrugged, “Damn. Missed it.” she mumbled, causing Grant to blush even more. If that was possible. He was probably at the point of literally combusting. “Anyways, I had to get out of there for just a bit.” she continued. “Garrett creeps me out.”

Grant frowned and straightened up, the blush quickly fading from his cheeks, “Why? What’d he do?” he asked defensively, afraid that the older agent had done something to her. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. It’s just that he creeps me out and I don’t like being around him.” Skye answered. “Triplett’s with Fitzsimmons and Coulson’s talking to May about something. So I was left alone with him. I got out of there as soon as he tried to strike up a conversation with me. I don’t have time for that.”

“So he didn’t do anything to you?” Grant asked again, turning around and reaching for his clothes that he had carefully placed on the small counter. “I,”

“I’m fine, Grant. Seriously.” Skye cut him off. She turned around to at least give him a little privacy as he changed into his clothes, “I didn’t stay long enough for him to even really talk to me. I see why you don’t like him. He gives me the creeps.”

“I still don’t know to why he’s here.” Grant stated, slipping his shirt on. “I haven’t seen him in a couple of years and he suddenly wants to show up and help us? Something’s not right here. I would tell Coulson, but I’m afraid that it’ll sound as though I’m crying wolf since my mental state hasn’t been all too great recently.

I guess that I’ll keep an eye on things for a while just to make sure.” he continued, slipping his underwear and pants on as well. “I don’t like any of this. But Garrett is Coulson’s friend after all. And Coulson’s not about to distrust a friend just because I don’t like him. Hell, I don’t like a lot of people, but that doesn’t mean they’re bad.”

Skye frowned again as Grant turned back around to face her, “But didn’t you tell me that something seemed off about him?” she questioned. “That something was wrong?”

“Yeah, but I don’t know that that something is. That’s the problem. I may think that there’s a problem, but if I don’t know what it is, then there’s nothing anyone can do about it. It’ll just be written off as my anxiety acting up again.” Grant answered, taking a step towards her and gently wrapping an arm around her torso, “I want to figure out just what that something is before it’s too late. Garrett’s always been a shady guy, so I don’t know what it is he wants. I’m just afraid that it’s something really bad.”

“Grant, don’t be so hard on yourself.” Skye stated lightly as Grant led them out of the bathroom. “I’m sure that you’ll be able to figure it out soon enough. Maybe there’s nothing wrong and he just wants to help. But you’re so adamant about there being a problem. So I’m not so sure about it anymore.”

“I’ll… I’ll keep my eyes open. But I’m not promising anything.” Grant trailed off as they got into the galley area, seeing Garrett seated in one of the chairs. His throat grew dry as they approached. He didn’t want to run now and make himself seem suspicious. He knew that Garrett was a great agent and probably could sense something wrong in a matter of no time. So he had to play this out. Maybe it was best that he tried to slip into agent mode and try to act as though nothing was wrong.

Garrett raised an eyebrow as the two approached, “Your girlfriend there sure took off when I approached.” he commented with a laugh. “What’s the matter?”

Skye grimaced slightly as they sat down onto the couch, “Bathroom break.” she commented. “Hit me hard and fast.” She looked around, trying to figure out some way to move the conversation on, “Where’s Coulson and May?”

“Those two? They’re talking about rerouting this plane to a possible mission location in the morning.” Garrett replied, leaning back in the chair. “Looks like you might have to suit up after all, Agent Ward.”

Grant straightened up, his heart skipping a few beats, “Huh? What? Why? Why would I need to go on an assignment right now? Coulson told me I could stay back with Skye until she’s fully ready for field duty again.”

“Something about those Centipede guys you’ve been fighting. Apparently Coulson got wind earlier of a whole base of them.” Garrett began to explain. “He wants to go in and take them out before anything can happen. Said that he needs your firepower for the fight. Something like that.”

“I, uh, I don’t need to fight. I can’t leave Skye behind. He can call in strike teams if he needs the firepower. I’m just one, lone man. I’m not that great.” Grant protested. He knew that Garrett had no idea of his powers. And it needed to stay that way. He still wasn’t a fan of the team knowing. He definitely didn’t want this man knowing about them either.

“I didn’t make that decision, kid.” Garrett stated, looking back towards Grant. “You’ve gotta talk to Coulson about that. And speakin’ of kids, I better go check on my rookie.” He stood up and began to walk away, “No telling what he’s gotten himself into.”

Grant watched with a frown as Garrett disappeared towards the hangar. He looked back to Skye, “Mission? Suddenly?”

She shrugged, “Can’t help that things pop up like this, Grant. Did you really think that we’d go my recovery time without a mission?” she asked. “And you don’t have to stay behind because of me. If Coulson needs you for this, then go. Normal strike teams can’t fight Centipede soldiers like you can. You could probably take out what several normal strike agents would be able to.

Don’t skip out on helping just because of me. I’ll be fine.” she continued. “Hell, Max can watch out over me. He’ll be good. I just don’t want you holding back just because I’m hurt. You’re a SHIELD agent, you’re supposed to take out the bad guys. And that’s what I want you to do.”

Grant looked away, just as Max decided to trot up towards them, “Yeah, it just that I wanna be able to keep my eye on you.” he muttered. “I don’t want you getting hurt. Again. I wasn’t there for you last time. I can’t let that happen again.”

“Grant, I’ll be fine. It’s not like I’m going into the field. I’ll be here. With Fitzsimmons. And possibly Coulson. I don’t think I’m going anywhere with them here.” she tried to reassure him as Max crawled his way into his lap. “Coulson needs you out there. And it’s a great opportunity to get at more Centipede soldiers. Hell, maybe it’ll get us closer to the Clairvoyant, whoever the hell he, or she, really is.”

He remained quiet, carefully stroking the back of Max’s neck to help calm himself down. He really didn’t want to leave Skye behind for a mission, but he really didn’t want to disappoint Coulson either. Maybe he should just talk it over with Coulson for a bit before coming to a decision.

“I’ll… I’ll talk to Coulson first.” he muttered. “I don’t know.”

“Just don’t give up on things because of me, Grant.” Skye stated quietly, gently taking his hand. “I know that you love me and you don’t want anything happening to me, but I don’t want you neglecting who you are because of it.”

“I just,”

“There’s no protest, Grant. Please talk to Coulson about it. I still want you to be the hero that you are.

Don’t give up on it because of me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I didn't mean to fall behind with this, but I'll try to keep up with it! And there's a hint in there of what's directly to come. I'm gonna try to jump right into the action so I don't drag it out so long. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	24. One Step Forward, Three Steps Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant prepares for the mission.

(The Next Morning)

Grant stood awkwardly in the corner of the Holocom room, barely listening to what Coulson was going over. All he had been able to pick up on so far was that there was a Centipede base they were going to raid and he and two strike teams were set to lead the march later this afternoon. Despite his fear and apprehension about the entire situation, Grant was genuinely impressed that Coulson had been able to set up a raid like this so quickly.

And he didn’t even have to listen to the specs of the mission; he knew exactly what he had to do. Go in and take out any Centipede soldiers so that SHIELD could take them into custody. Other agents would hack the computers to find any valuable information that SHIELD could use against the Centipede project. Grant just didn’t want to leave Skye behind to do so.

“Alright, here’s how everyone will be paired up. May will stay behind to guard Fitzsimmons and Skye. Skye will run any possible hacks that we need that any of the strike team hackers can’t do. Garrett and I will be stationed in a van about a mile from the compound, running through any comms and giving orders for the strike. Ward, you’ll take one strike team. Triplett, you’ll take another. Hopefully we can make this go as smoothly as possible. I wasn’t expecting another mission so soon.”

Grant nodded slowly, still barely listening to what Coulson was saying. All he hoped was that Skye would be safe on the Bus with Fitzsimmons and May. He hated that she wouldn’t be in his line of sight for what would probably end up being a few hours. Anything could happen in that amount of time.

“Alright, go ahead and get suited up.” Coulson continued. “May, go ahead and set us back on course for the compound’s coordinates. Fitzsimmons and Skye, get set up in the lab. Ward, Triplett, go gear yourselves up with whatever you need. Guns. Anything. We are fighting supersoldiers after all.”

 _“Coulson still wants no one else to know of what I am.”_ Grant thought, turning around to leave the small room. _“Then how am I supposed to do my job? I don’t lead strike teams. I’m not a leader. I’ve always worked alone. This team is an exception. I go in alone and I get the job done.”_

“Grant, can I speak to you a moment?” Coulson spoke up, catching the specialist’s attention. “And Grant alone. I prefer to keep this in private.”

Grant’s heart about leapt into his throat as he spun around to meet Coulson’s gaze. Everyone else filed out of the room and he gave Skye a worried look. All she could do was give him a smile as she followed Fitzsimmons.

“Sir?” he croaked, walking towards the older man. “What is it?”

“Is everything okay with you?” Coulson asked, his voice low so no one else could hear him. “You’ve been acting weird ever since Garrett stepped foot onto this plane. Is there something going on that I should know about?”

 _“No. He can’t know yet. He’ll act like I’m crazy if I go ahead and say that Garrett’s up to something. I’ve… I’ve got to keep investigating.”_ Grant shook his head vehemently, “N-Nothing’s wrong, sir.” he stammered. “I just feel weird with people I’m not used to being on the Bus with us. Especially after what happened to Skye.”

Coulson gave him a light smile, “Grant, I promise that everything’s going to be okay.” he stated, trying to reassure him. “Yeah, this mission might throw a wrench in things for a bit. But it’s just a raid. Nothing more. And Skye’s going to be safe here with May and Fitzsimmons. She’s not allowed out into the field until you feel like she’s ready. You’re her SO, so you make that call. And I know that you don’t want her out there, especially since she’s still healing and that it’s Centipede that we’re fighting.”

Grant nodded slowly, “I… I trust May and Fitzsimmons, sir. She’ll be fine.” he answered. _“But it’s not her I’m worried about…_ ”

“Grant, things will be okay. Go suit up and get ready. Wheel’s up in five and it won’t take us long to get to the rendezvous point for the strike teams. Maybe two hours. Tops.” Coulson placed a caring hand on Grant’s shoulder, “I know that you’re worried about her, but I promise you that she’ll be fine. Go out there and do your job. If we’re lucky, we might be able to find a batch of that serum so Simmons can analyze it. But, still, take them out.”

“Y-Yes, sir.” Grant stammered, nodding again. He quickly fled the room and headed towards the storage bay to find his tac gear and weapons.

He grabbed his pants out of his locker and quickly shed his jeans, slipping on the tac pants with ease. Feeling a presence behind him, Grant froze up halfway through taking his Henley off.

“What did Coulson want?”

Grant spun around and was relieved when he saw that it was just Skye. Why hadn’t he realized it before now? He shook his head and finished taking his shirt off, tossing it to her, “Nothing.” he answered. “It was just about keeping my powers on the downlow since Garrett and Triplett are here. Nothing else.” Of course he was lying straight through his teeth, but he didn’t want her to know that he was completely worried over her more than she already knew.

Skye held Grant’s shirt close to her chest, “What? He doesn’t want you going full super soldier on the super soldiers?” she asked, sarcasm in her voice. She let her eyes trail his abs a little too long and Grant blushed, turning around before slipping his tac shirt on.

 “I guess.” he mumbled, reaching for his vest. “I guess since things haven’t been going too well for me lately, he doesn’t want me getting out of control. It’s not pretty when that happens. Think of the Hulk without all the muscle. Plus flames.”

Skye’s face fell, “Oh.” She paused for a minute, watching him put on the final touches of his gear. She didn’t realize just how many guns and grenades he carried. There had to be at least three handguns strapped to him. And that didn’t include the assault rifle still stashed away in the weapons locker. He really was a one-man army.

Grant shrugged, turning back to face Skye and crossing his arms, “But that won’t happen. You’re safe.” he stated. “As long as you and the team are safe, I should be fine. And most of you aren’t even going into the field. I’m the only one besides Triplett. And he’s not even part of the team.”

“You still afraid that something’s up with Garrett?”

“I don’t know. I can’t tell anything yet.” Grant took a step towards her and took his shirt from her, throwing it into his locker and closing it. “But I figure that it’ll come in time. Again, I really don’t know.” He reached out and gently took her hand, allowing her to guide him back towards the galley.

“I guess.” Skye answered quietly, deciding that she should go ahead and change the topic before anyone else could hear them. “And why did you change into your gear so soon?” she asked. “We’re not supposed to be at the location for a couple of hours.”

Grant shrugged, “Just felt like it. And Coulson told me to go ahead and suit up. It’s better to go ahead and be prepared.” he stated as they got into the galley. “I…”

He trailed off as he noticed Garrett sitting in one of the chairs, looking like he was reading something. Garrett quickly took notice of the two and stood up, stuffing something into his jacket.

“Well, someone’s already prepared.” he stated with a smile that Grant knew was fake. “Really top of the line, aren’t you?”

 _“What did he stuff into his jacket?”_ Grant’s mind was racing and his heart felt as though it was in his throat. _“A file. Looked like a file. It said something…._ ”

“Yeah, Grant really likes to go ahead and get things done.” Skye said, trying to make a joke. “Right, Grant?”

He nodded numbly, but didn’t say anything in response.

Garrett smiled again, “It pays to be efficient in times like this.” he commented, shifting his jacket. As his jacket moved, Grant’s sharp eyes caught a glimpse of the file the man had hidden. “Well, now, If you excuse me, I’ve got to go meet with Coulson again to go over the after-mission plans. We need to know what to do with the soldiers once we’ve got them.”

Grant blinked, his body freezing over as the older agent quickly left the room. Even though Garrett had tried his best to hide the file, he still wasn’t a match for Grant’s superhuman senses. And Grant had managed to discern one, clear word from the cover of the file.

 _‘Horizon’._  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And, yeah, I was going there eventually. And things will be explained even more soon. We just have to get through a few things first. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	25. Keep You, Love You, Save You (But You're Gone)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end finally comes.

For the next two hours, Grant was in a state of complete fear and sickness. Why had Garrett’s folder, that had been oh so quickly hidden from him, said ‘Horizon’? Horizon had been shut down once SHIELD had liberated him from the lab. Or so he thought.

Grant knew that the file had to be his. But how had Garrett gotten something that SHIELD should’ve destroyed years ago? And why did he have it? Grant just knew that Garrett’s appearance on the Bus was about him. Garrett didn’t want to help, he wanted something from Grant.

But what was that something?

“Grant! Grant!”

Grant shook his head and looked up to see Coulson frowning at him, handing a gun to him, “Huh?”

Coulson frowned even more, “Grant, son, are you okay?” he asked quietly. “You’ve been in and out of it for the past two hours. I don’t need you doing this in the middle of the mission. It’ll get you hurt or killed. Is… Is there something that I need to know about? Grant, I can’t tell what you’re thinking. So you have to talk.”

“N-No.” Grant stammered, looking at Garrett in the corner of his vision. “There’s nothing wrong. It’s just my anxiety. That’s all. I don’t like leaving Skye like this to go into a big battle.”

“I figured.” Coulson stated calmly, putting a gentle hand on Grant’s shoulder. “But, Grant, if there’s anything else that you need to tell me, you need to go ahead and say so. I don’t want you to hide it and then you get yourself in trouble because of it.”

Grant looked away, “There’s nothing wrong.” he stated. “Everything’s fine.” _“It’s not like you’d believe me anyways. You won’t believe me if I say Garrett has an old Horizon file in his possession. You’d think my paranoia is acting up. I must deal with this myself. I’ll… I’ll kill Garret if I must. I hate him anyways.”_

He took the gun from Coulson and stashed it away, “I’ll be fine once I’m back on that damn Bus and all of this is over.”

Coulson smiled lightly, “Hopefully it will be done after this. If we’re lucky, the Clairvoyant will be here, too.” he answered. “Kill two birds with one stone. Then we’ll be able to have a break for a while.” He clapped Grant on the shoulder, “Get ready to head out and meet your strike team. We’ll be at the rendezvous point in a couple of minutes.”

“Do they know who they’re working with?”

“Not exactly. They know it’s someone from our team, but they don’t know that it’s you.” Coulson answered as Grant stood to his feet. “So be nice on them if they get a little excited. You’re practically a legend among SHIELD, remember. You’re up there with the likes of Romanoff and May.”

 “I’d rather not be a legend.” Grant muttered underneath his breath. “I’m not worth it always.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing. Just talking to myself.” Grant frowned as the Bus lurched, trying to settle on solid ground. He looked back to Skye, who sat in the lab with Fitzsimmons and May, and gave her a quick wave. Skye smiled back at him and Grant blushed, quickly turning his back towards the lab before he had any more regrets about this.

The hangar door roared as it opened and Grant took a breath, tightening the strap that held his rifle against his body. He stepped out into the bright light, unaware of what he was about to get into.

 

* * *

 

(Sometime Later)

“I thought you didn’t talk.”

Grant grimaced and shot a glare at the strike agent that had talked, “And you won’t be talking if you keep that shit up.” he growled. “Be quiet.”

The agent yelped and fell back into line with Grant’s strides. Grant allowed himself to smile as he returned his attention to what was ahead of him. Honestly, he liked putting on the mask of a cold and calloused agent when he could. At least others would listen to him like this.

And, honestly, was it really a mask? That’s how he was around agents he didn’t like. If it wasn’t the team or Skye, he didn’t want to have anything to do with him. And this strike team wasn’t the threatening type, so he had no reason whatsoever to be afraid of them. He was just trying his best to funnel his fear of the Garrett situation into what he was doing.

They had already taken out four Centipede soldiers so far. Grant just wished that he could use his powers to make things easier. But he knew that wasn’t an option with Garrett watching. He had to keep them on the downlow until everything was all said and done.

“Uh, sir, what are we exactly supposed to be doing? It feels as though we’ve been walking in circles.”

“Your orders were to take out any soldiers you see.” Grant growled. “We’re doing a sweep of the compound.” He stopped and turned around, glaring at them, “How the hell are any of your strike team agents when you all seem so fucking clueless about what we’re doing?” he asked. “This isn’t how a SHIELD agent is supposed to work.” He turned back around and began walking again, “Give me a fucking break. This is why I work alone.”

 _“Why did Coulson team me up with the biggest fucking idiots?”_ Grant took a sharp breath, trying to channel his anger elsewhere. _“Coulson knows that I don’t like to be hindered by others. Unless…”_ Grant paused in his tracks, _“Garrett set this up and this is a trap. Garrett purposely set this up, knowing that a weak team would set me back.”_

“Sir, is everything okay?”

Grant turned around and looked at the four agents, “I want you to stay close to me at all times.” he ordered sternly. “And if you see me doing anything _weird_ , don’t mention it to anyone else.”

One of the agents frowned, “What’s going on?” he asked. “We,”

“Just stay close to me, okay?” Grant hissed turning back around. “I don’t…”

“You’ve figured it out, haven’t you, Agent Ward?”

Grant immediately froze, that calm and twisting voice chilling him to the bone. He spun around just in time to see his four agents all fall to the ground, bullets all lodged in their heads. _“When did…”_

“Don’t move or the rest will end up just like them.”

He looked up to see none other than Raina standing above him, a chilling smile on her face, “You.” he spat. “What… What did you do to them?!”

“I only got rid of a problem. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Grant fell to his knees as the blood continued to pool on the floor. The agents were dead because of him. Just like his friends back at Horizon. His body started to tremble and bile rose up in his throat. And he tried his best to hold it down.

Raina took note of Grant’s trembling body, remembering just what he was capable of, “I wouldn’t recommend fighting back, Agent Ward.” she stated softly. “Not if you don’t want your friends dead.”

He looked up, fire burning in his eyes. But he found himself unable to talk.

She smiled, “I have a squadron of Centipede soldiers ready to descend onto that plane of yours.” she began. “If you don’t come willingly, I’ll have them kill every last one of them. Even that precious girlfriend of yours. Maybe even that dog. So your best option is to come peacefully. And don’t even think about using those powers of yours. If you know what’s the best for them.”

Grant’s body trembled even more. He felt himself slipping, but he was so afraid to move. A single movement here would mean death for those he loved. “Leave them alone.” he croaked. “They’re not a part of this. Leave them out of it.”

“Then come with us and don’t put up a fight. If you do that, we won’t touch them.”

“Who’s ‘we’?”

“The Clairvoyant’s been dying to see you, Agent Ward. You don’t know how long he’s fought to get to you.” she crooned, crouching down next to him. “He’s finally gotten what he wants. A way to live.”

“Like I care, just leave them alone. Leave Skye alone.”

“And that was the trouble Horizon had with you, it seems. They tried to make you into a soldier without emotions, but all they got was one who couldn’t control them. You feel far too much for one man and you have no idea of what to do with them.” Raina smiled once more, “You’ll gladly sacrifice yourself in order to keep just a few safe.”

“That’s my job. I’m… I’m supposed to protect.” Grant bit back even more bile as the blood reached his hands. He couldn’t move anymore. He couldn’t even lift his head to look at Raina. “So take me instead. Don’t even lay a finger on them. And if you do, I’ll kill you. I-I’ll find a way to rip you limb from limb.”

“You can’t even find the courage to do that.” she whispered, jabbing something into his neck. “You gladly give up in order to protect others. You don’t even put up a fight.”

Grant’s limbs immediately felt heavy and he fell to the ground, the sensation all too familiar for him. _“Horizon’s sedative. How?”_ Blackness danced at the edges of his vision and he struggled to find the words he wanted to say. “F-Fucking leave them alone.” he slurred. “I’ll….” He trailed off as the darkness drug him down and he fell unconscious.

Raina stood to her feet with a wide smile on her face. She motioned for soldiers to come in and take Grant away, not believing how easy it was to get him to comply. In her book, he truly was weak.

“Garrett will be extremely glad to see you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it, the final arc of this story. I imagine that you all can figure out just what Garrett wants from Grant. There's only the question of how the team will find out. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	26. Nobody Hears Me, I Suffer the Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant finds out just what Raina and Garrett want.

(Sometime Later)

Grant moaned and peeled open his eyes, every nerve in his body burning and screaming at him. He remembered this feeling and he didn’t want to admit it. He shifted and found his wrists bound by heavy metal shackles and also found himself in some kind of chair. Moving again, he noted that his entire body felt numb and heavy.

 _“The sedative…”_ He even struggled to think. _“Raina… She had the sedative Horizon made for me. This doesn’t… This doesn’t make sense. They were destroyed over fifteen years ago. That stuff shouldn’t exist.”_

He moved once more and a cool voice stopped him, freezing his stomach to his core.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Agent Ward.”

Grant struggled to lift his head up, “Raina.” he spat once he could see the flower dress. “What… What the fuck did you do to me?”

She smiled softly, “Oh, you should know. Considering I used the very same sedative that was used on you fifteen years ago.” she replied. “I don’t know why you’re even asking.”

“I-I know that. But how? Where?”

“It’s not hard to get things from Hydra if you ask nicely, Agent Ward. They were glad to assist in this. As long as they get something from it.”

Grant’s face fell, “Hydra? That… That doesn’t make sense. Captain America took them out in the 40’s.” he slurred. “And they didn’t make the drug.”

“I know that.” Raina raised a sharp eyebrow and walked over to the nearest table, picking up a file. She opened it and began to skim the pages, “’Horizon’ was simply a codename for their big project. They wanted to create the perfect solider. But you were the only successful subject.

Then SHIELD came and destroyed that division, unaware that it was actually Hydra.” she continued to explain. So it went dormant for years and it was abandoned. Copies of their research were made, but never touched. They had to have you to continue it. But they could never get to you because you were under SHIELD’s close supervision for the last fifteen years.”

Grant felt sick to his stomach. Hydra? How hadn’t SHIELD known that their old enemy was still alive? And all he was Hydra’s experiment? How had Hydra gotten their hands on him in the first place anyways?

Raina smiled at the pain in Grant’s face and she began to read the file, “Ten subjects were chosen at random. All five years old or under since Hydra believed they could handle and adapt to the augmentations better than an adult. Most were abducted, but you were an exception.” She looked up and took the confusion in Grant’s face as an answer, “Looks like your dear old father got himself involved with Hydra after a senate run. He gave you up to pay off a debt to them. It was staged to make it look like a kidnapping. But then no one ever bothered to look for you anyways. No one ever loved you, it seems.”

“Y-You’re lying. Coulson never told me this.” Grant stammered, trying his best to hold down his oncoming panic attack. “I,”

“I don’t think SHIELD ever knew. The files they had on you were only biological in nature. Not a history.”

Grant’s mouth grew dry, “W-Why tell me this now?” he asked angrily. “What do you even want with me? I’ve done nothing.”

Raina closed the file and stepped closer towards the bounded Grant, “You have something that we want.” she answered cooly. “Most specifically, something John wants.”

“John? You… You mean Garrett.”

“I’m surprised that you haven’t figured it out sooner. He told me that he believed you were suspicious of him, but it seems that you were too late in being able to warn anyone about it. But were you too afraid to tell?” Raina blinked and slightly tilted her head, “All your records state you have an extreme anxiety problem, but that you’re usually right when you have a bad feeling about someone. So, why didn’t you tell?”

“Coulson’s friends with Garrett. Thought he wouldn’t believe me.”

“So you believed that everyone would think you were crying wolf.” She smiled, “At least that worked out for us in the end. We got you were without a single problem. We get what John wants from you and then we’ll hand you over to Hydra. They’re not done with their experiments quite yet.”

Grant fought the urge to throw up. No matter it be Hydra, Horizon, or whoever, he wasn’t going back to them. He couldn’t live through that hell again. But he knew that both Garrett and Raina would make it to where he couldn’t fight back. Hell, they already had him drugged up to the point where he couldn’t even summon his flames or the slightest bit of strength. He had to hope that SHIELD would find him in time.

“Then what do you want from me?” he growled through clenched teeth. “What is it?”

“You see,” Raina began, turning her back towards him. “Garrett’s dying. There was this _accident_ on a mission that gravely injured him. SHIELD abandoned him and he’s been fighting for a way to survive. He heard about your agent’s ‘little’ brush with death and her miraculous recovery. And upon some investigating, he finds out that a super soldier is her SO. Those two things tend to connect.

Garrett knows that her recovery has something to do with you.” she continued. “And he wants that. I assume it has something to do with that special blood of yours. You have a remarkable healing factor, so it’s safe to say that it is your blood.”

“You can’t have it. I’m not giving my blood to someone like you or Garrett.”

“That team of yours is still out there dealing with Centipede. You’ve only been here a few hours.” Raina stated suddenly, that chilling smile returning. “I can still have a team of soldiers descend on them and kill them in under a minute.”

Grant immediately clamped his mouth shut and continued to glare at her. He didn’t want anything happening to the team. Especially due to him being selfish.

“I knew that you keep you quiet.” She walked over and placed the file back down onto the table that she had gotten it from. “All I need is a few pints of blood. Maybe more. Hydra wants you alive, so I can’t take too much. Just enough to ensure that I have enough to work with.”

“And what if it doesn’t work?” Grant asked coldly. “What if Skye was just a freak case and my blood kills Garrett? Then what is this all for?”

“You have no idea of what’s in your blood, do you?” Raina asked. “Your blood is a cocktail of things. Variations of the original super solder serum. Early versions of the Centipede serum. A few other things I haven’t been able to decipher just yet. And, the most important, something alien. A part of you is alien, Agent Ward. You are a walking monster.”

“Don’t call me that.” Grant growled, his teeth clenched in anger once more. His fear was quickly morphing into anger. “No one calls me that.”

“It’s only a metaphor, Agent Ward. I think you’re a wonder. There’s no telling to what your blood can cure. If it can bring a dying girl back to life, then there’s no limit to what it can do. I’d like to exploit that once Garrett is cured.”

“I am not a cure to anything. I chose to help Skye.” Grant snapped. “But that’s the only person I’ll help in that way. And if my blood really is that fucked-up, who’s to say that it won’t screw up whoever it’s given to?”

“Trial and error, Agent Ward. The scientific process. I have plenty of test subjects at my disposal to test your blood on. I’m not going to immediately inject it into John unless something dire happens. I have plenty of time between now and the time he gets back from your team to test it a few times. So be prepared to give blood soon.”

“Fuck you.” Grant spat, watching as Raina turned around and walked away, leaving him all alone.

He struggled against the restraints again and they still failed to break from his strength. The sedative still had him too dulled-out to do anything. But he knew that he couldn’t do anything. At least until the team was far away from that Centipede base. He didn’t want them getting hurt at all because of him.

But did they even know that he was gone?

He screamed out, both in fear and anger, even though that he knew no one could hear him.

He was all alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there's a little bit more backstory here. Horizon is revealed as Hydra. And it's revealed that Grant's dad gave him to Hydra to pay off a debt (cruel? I know). And I know that I didn't show the team this chapter, but I promise they'll be present in the next. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	27. Hold On, I'm Coming Apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye finds out that something has happened.

(Two Hours Ago, The Bus)

“Uh, guys, why haven’t we heard anything back from anyone in like the past hour?”

Fitzsimmons both looked up and frowned, “What do you mean?” Simmons asked, blinking in confusion. “Everyone’s trackers are still working. They’re probably busy fighting. There’s nothing to worry about. Coulson’s listening in on comms with Agent Garrett. If something happened, he would’ve told us by now.”

Skye shook her head, “Something just doesn’t seem right, Simmons.” she stated. “Even Grant would’ve said something by now.” She turned back to her computer and began to type, “I’m gonna try to patch us through to them just to see if things are okay.”

“Shouldn’t you try Coulson first?” Fitz asked, picking at the material of his pants. “I mean, it’s probably not good for you to try and contact Ward if he’s in the middle of a battle.”

“I already did. I couldn’t get through to him.” Skye replied darkly. “I don’t know what’s going on.” She continued to type a few more commands, “Again, something just doesn’t seem right here. I don’t….” She trailed off and stared at the screen.

“You don’t what?”

“I… I don’t understand. Someone’s been jamming the comms the entire time. And I didn’t notice. How the hell did this slip past me?” Skye muttered, staring at fear at the screen. “That’s why no one’s updated us. The comms are jammed. But who would be jamming the comms?”

Fitz frowned and stood to his feet, immediately coming over to where Skye was sitting, “Wait, does that mean the trackers are too?” he asked. “The trackers are tied to the comms.”

“They’re… Half of them are offline.” Skye blinked, trying to comprehend the situation. “And it’s Grant’s strike team. In… Including Grant…” She suddenly felt sick to her stomach. How long had the trackers been offline? She knew that they had somehow been set up, but how? And why was it just Grant and his team?

“T-Then you should tell May!” Simmons stammered. “If you can’t get through to Coulson,”

“I’m trying!” Skye almost snapped. “I’ve got to somehow establish an amplifier or something to get around the jammer. The jammer seems physical, so it’s probably in that base somewhere. This had to be a set up all along. Just… Just think about it. Coulson suddenly gets information about a Centipede base? That doesn’t seem right. Where did he even get that information anyways?”

“He, um, never said.”

“Great.” Skye mumbled, typing a few more things. “There. I’ve found another line through. T-Trying to patch Coulson in through now.”

A few static-y sounds crackled out before Coulson’s voice came through.

_“Skye? Is that you?”_

“Coulson! We’ve got a serious problem!”

_“Huh? What is it? And why are you contacting through this line?”_

“The comms are down. Someone’s jamming them. And… And all of the trackers for Grant and his team are down. Something’s happened.”

_“W-What? How long have they been that way?”_

Skye heard fear dripping from Coulson’s voice and it only made her panic even worse. She was fighting back tears at this point. “I don’t know, sir. I just noticed it.”

_“Then try and contact Triplett’s team to tell them what’s going on. Garrett and I will work things out on our end. Order a full search for Grant’s team. Now. Does May know what’s going on?”_

“Not yet.”

“I’ll go tell her!” Fitz exclaimed, jumping up and quickly running out of the room.

_“Good. We need to get this under wraps fast. But I’m afraid that something’s happened to Grant. If just his team was taken down. Then he was targeted. I know it._

_This needs to be dealt with now. Before the worst can happen._

_Which I fear may might have already happened.”_

(Current Time)

Grant moaned out as a needle pierced his skin and he tried his best to keep from lashing out at the scientist currently trying to take his blood. But there wasn’t much he could do at this point. They had him drugged up to the point where he could barely move. But they weren’t holding back, though. They knew how to keep him at bay so he wouldn’t be able to attack him. There was no telling to what information Raina had gotten about him.

“Seems like SHIELD’s greatest asset has been reduced to nothing.”

He looked up slowly to see Raina walking into the room, “What… What do you want?” he slurred. “Haven’t you done enough already?”

Raina smiled cooly, “We’ve barely even begun, Agent Ward.” she stated lightly. “There’s just a lot of drugs in your system right now. We can’t risk having you get out. Not at all. Especially when Garrett hasn’t had the chance to get here yet. But he’ll be here soon enough. Unfortunately, he’ll probably have to reveal himself to that precious little team of yours to be able to get away from them long enough.

But we already have you, so that probably really doesn’t even matter.” she continued. “Everything’s all falling into place. Hopefully, your blood will act as a cure for him. That’s all we need. And if you comply, we can make this go as smoothly as possible. And then we’ll get you shipped off to the Hydra scientists who want you. Oh, what was his name? Whitehall. That was it.”

Grant blinked, wanting to rip out of the restraints and burn Raina to absolutely nothing. But, of course, he couldn’t. Even if he wasn’t drugged up and pretty much useless, he wouldn’t be able to attack. He couldn’t risk the team’s lives just because he was getting pissed off. Even if he laid a single finger on her, Raina would send a team to kill them. He couldn’t risk that at all.

“Go to hell.” he spat. “Why… Why are you even doing this anyways?”

Raina smiled again, “I’m interested in those that are greater. Those that are more powerful than human kind. To find a way to bring about evolution.” she replied. “Now, you’re not exactly the key to that, but it’s a start. Saving Garrett is the beginning. He is the Clairvoyant after all.”

Grant’s stomach did a complete flip. Clairvoyant? So Garrett had been the one they had been chasing all this time. “Centipede. It’s his.”

“It is. But it’s failed to work on him. It kept him alive for some time, but it can’t anymore. There’s something missing from the equation. And I believe that it’s your blood. If it can bring that girl of yours back from the brink of death, imagine what it can do for him. Imagine the endless possibilities that it can create.”

“My blood isn’t a cure-all. It’s… It’s just a miracle that it worked on Skye. But it won’t work on Garrett. I know that.” Grant tried to protest, grimacing as a scientist tugged at the IV needle. “This is all a lost cause. And it will all end up going up in flames. I promise that.”

“You may be a super soldier, but that doesn’t mean that you’re invincible.” Raina crooned, taking a step towards him. “Garrett will find ways to break you. Your mind is damaged. Hydra tried to create the ultimate soldier, but screwed you over in the process. They tried to get rid of your emotions, but in turn made you unstable. He’ll break you so you won’t fight back, Agent Ward. And that way, we’ll get what we want and then Hydra will get what they want. It’s only a matter of time before that happens.”

“Go fuck yourself.”

She smiled once more and turned her back towards him, “You best drop that attitude now before Garrett gets here. That’ll only make things worse for you on your end.” She paused and turned towards her scientists, “You know what, go ahead and cut on him. See what the extent of his healing abilities are. Just don’t take it too far.”

Grant’s stomach completely froze over, “No!” he tried to scream. “Don’t do that! Don’t do that!”

“Oh, seems like I’ve hit a sore spot with you. Oh, well.”

Grant thrashed against the restraints as the scientists surrounded him. He tried to burn the metal shackles, but nothing came. Not even a single spark. The scientists held him down and injected him with even more sedatives to try and calm him.

Grant couldn’t even fight back.

Even his flames had abandoned him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So things get worse with Grant. And it's only a matter of time before Garrett shows up. Let's just hope that the team can find him soon. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	28. Time, It's Eating Me Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things continue to get worse and worse.

(Sometime Later)  


Grant wearily looked up as scientists shuffled all around him, preparing to take even more blood. Just how many pints had they taken by now? Grant had lost count, mainly due to the fact that he was slowly beginning to lose consciousness. He may be a semi-invincible super soldier, but that didn’t mean he was immune to the effects of blood loss. Raina would probably have him drained until there was almost nothing left. Just enough for him to survive so Hydra could get their hands on him.

He still struggled to make sense of things and he could feel himself start to shut down mentally. He hadn’t felt like this since Skye got shot, which was a record for him. But, honestly, there wasn’t much left holding him together. If he could, he would probably tear apart the next person to touch him. Honestly, it was probably a good thing that Raina had him so drugged up.

“How’s the procedure going?”

Grant numbly brought his gaze towards the doorway, seeing Raina standing there once again. A large part of him wanted to tear from his restraints and burn her until there was nothing left, but, of course, he couldn’t do that. All he could do was do nothing and watch.

“We’re about done.” a scientist announced. “We don’t want to take much more from him. His body needs to be able to generate more blood and we’re not sure how that process will affect him. But we suspect his body will be able to generate the blood lost in no time at all. Maybe a day or two at the most. But, we still don’t want to overdo it. I think we have more than enough blood to test on the subjects.”

Raina nodded, “Good. Garrett will be here soon. He ran into some trouble with Agent Coulson, but I imagine that he took care of that.” she stated. “An hour tops.”

Grant’s stomach lurched. Coulson? What had Garrett done to Coulson? The thought made him sick. People were getting hurt because of him. And that was probably the one thing that he hated the most.

“Get Agent Ward into one of the containment cells.” Raina continued, looking over towards him. “I don’t think he needs to be restrained like that for much longer. Garrett won’t like that. Make him comfortable, but not too comfortable. Oh, and keep him drugged. It might be best to sedate him again until you can get him situated. But don’t overdo it. He’s lost a lot of blood and we still don’t know how his body works. Just enough to get him out.”

Raina looked deep into Grant’s eyes and took a step forward, taking pleasure in the pain she saw brewing deep within his eyes. “What? No snarky comment?” she asked cooly. “Or have you spiraled again? I know that you’re far from mentally sane, Agent Ward. That’s why we keep you sedated. I don’t want you going into a blind rage and killing anyone.

Your mental issues are immense. Hydra tried to create the ultimate soldier but failed in the end.” she continued. “You can’t control your emotions. You feel far too much for one man. That creates a monster in the end. One that no one can control. I don’t think anyone can tame you, Agent Ward. Sooner or later that rage is going to get the best of you and you’re going to turn into something far from human. Especially with everything that’s in your blood.”

Grant just stared at her, his brain threatening to shut off.

“No, you’re already something not human. Just what are you, Agent Ward? You’re an abomination of monsters.” Raina continued, a slight smirk on her lips. “I’d love to exploit that. But, sadly, Hydra doesn’t want me doing anything else to you. I would absolutely _love_ to see what I could turn you into. You’re the pinnacle of human evolution.”

Something in Grant’s body shuttered and he mustered the courage to finally talk, “Go to hell.” he mumbled. “All of you.”

Raina’s smile grew even more and she took a step back.

“Oh, we’re already there, Agent Ward. We’re already there.”

 

* * *

 

 

(Elsewhere, a Little Earlier)

“Shit. This is bad.” Coulson ran a hand through his hair and looked over towards Garrett, “John, we need to head back to the Bus and regroup. We need to figure out just where the hell Grant has gone.”

Garrett raised a hand, “Slow down there, Phil.” he stated. “I don’t think we need to leave just yet. Your boy could still be out there somewhere. Retreating may put him into an even worse situation.”

“We need a solid plan!” Coulson began to argue. “I’m sure that the others are freaking out right now. Especially Skye. I’ll contact Trip and tell him to pull out. I don’t want him in there any longer. I can’t risk having anyone else go missing and there’s still no telling to what happened to Grant and his team. Grant’s strong. It would take a hell of a lot to overpower him, so I don’t… I don’t want to know what happened.” The panic was clear as day both in his voice and in his eyes. Coulson really wasn’t sure of what to do; he hadn’t dealt with a situation like this before.

Grant always got himself out of the worst of situations, no matter what. So to think that he had been overcome by the enemy force was unfathomable for Coulson. Grant was supposed to be near invincible after all. This wasn’t supposed to happen to him. Not like this. Never like this.

Coulson slowly drug a hand down his face, “Again, we’ve got to regroup. This isn’t good.” he stated, worry dripping from his voice. “We’ll have to launch a search of this area. Hell, what if Grant’s not even in this area? I… I can’t….” He hung his head low, “This wasn’t supposed to happen.” he muttered. “This is my fault.”

“Now, Phil…” Garrett trailed off as his phone began to ring, causing Coulson to look up with a sharp frown.

“Who the hell is calling you at a time like this?!” Coulson almost demanded. “We’re in the middle of a mission.”

“Calm down, it’s probably Trip. He _is_ my responsibility after all.” Garrett answered the phone, “Hello?” he asked cautiously, something in his voice that Coulson couldn’t figure out. Coulson watched with a growing frown as a huge smile suddenly formed on Garrett’s face.

“Oh really? That’s great. I’ll be there just as soon as I deal with Coulson here.” Garrett ended the call and stuffed the phone in his pocket, turning back to Coulson. “Sorry, Phil, but I’ve got to go. Something came up.”

Coulson’s stomach flipped and he suddenly stood up, the van suddenly seeming a whole lot smaller than it really was. “Huh? What the hell are you going on about, John?”

Garrett sighed and stood up, “Like I said. Something came up and I have to go. But I really do thank you for your help.” he answered, slowly reaching towards his waist. “Thanks to you, I have the answer to all of my problems.”

Coulson eyed the gun near him, trying to slowly shuffle towards it, “What the hell do you mean?”

“You fell for my trap and now I have what I want. Ward’s now mine.”

“Huh,” But Coulson was cut off as a high-pitched shot rang out and he fell to the ground.

Garrett smiled and looked at the modified gun in his hands, his eyes trailing the blue veins lacing across Coulson’s forehead, “Your engineer really knows how to make a gun. I just needed to send a message, after all.” he muttered to himself. He started towards the back of the van, “But we’ll be long gone before you even wake up.

Ward’s all mine now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, there you go. Garrett finally makes his move and we get more of how Grant's doing. Not much, but still reveals a whole lot. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	29. But I Feel the Anger Coming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team finds out what happened to Coulson.

(A Little Later)

Skye looked with a frown as May went rushing past her through the galley. Max sat up as well, picking up his head from where it had been on Skye’s lap. It definitely wasn’t normal for May to be acting like this, and Skye knew that it wasn’t about whatever had happened to Grant. And besides, someone would’ve told her something if it was related to Grant.

She quickly stood to her feet, causing Max to jump up and bark. He looked up at her, trying to figure out what was wrong. The young shepherd had been trying to figure out where Grant was and why everyone was acting so funny. Maybe his owner was back?

Skye looked down at Max and gave him a shrug, “I don’t know what’s going on, boy.” she stated. “But we better go figure out.” She quickly turned on her heels and headed towards the hangar bay, Max right behind her.

She stopped as soon as she got onto the catwalk overlooking the hangar bay, the sound of frantic commotion filling her ears. Her heart flipped and she about felt sick as she looked down below. Triplett and his team were carefully bringing in an unconscious man. On closer inspection, she found that the man was Coulson himself. Skye quickly ran down the spiral staircase and over towards the scene, where of which Simmons was quick to shoo her away.

“Don’t get too close! He could be hurt!” Simmons exclaimed. She motioned towards Trip, “Bring him into the lab and lay him on the main table! Carefully!”

Skye and Max slowly followed behind, “What happened? Triplett?” she called out, hoping that someone would give her an explanation.

“Triplett and his men found Coulson unconscious in the back of the van he and Garrett were supposed to be stationed in. With Garrett nowhere in sight.” May began to explain, standing at the edge of the lab, an unreadable expression on her face. “It’s possible that Garrett was behind this.”

“Possible?” Trip asked once Coulson was situated on the table. “He was the only one around Coulson. It… It had to be him. But why?” It was clear that he was having a hard time processing the situation. Garrett was his SO after all.

 “Then doesn’t that mean Garrett has something to do with Grant’s disappearance?” Skye spoke up sharply. “Just think. Coulson comes up unconscious mere hours after Grant goes missing and his team is killed. And then Garrett disappears into thin air. I’m seeing a connection here.”

“But why would Garrett do such a thing?” Fitz asked, eyes still on Coulson. “This doesn’t make any sense.”

“Grant told me that he was paranoid about Garrett. That he was worried that he was here for all the wrong reasons.” Skye said, running a hand through her hair. “He didn’t want to tell Coulson because he was afraid that he would think that he was crying wolf. Grant seemed awfully jumpy and freaked out just before the mission. This is all tied together.”

“So my SO has possibly turned on us, knocking Coulson unconscious and may have ties to Ward’s disappearance.” Trip started to slowly back up and sat down on a chair behind him. “Great. Just great.”

“Good news is that I think Coulson was just hit with a dendrotoxin bullet.” Simmons spoke up, turning to face everyone else. “Bad news is that Garrett is the only one other than us that should have a Night Night Gun with him. Which points even more fingers at him. But… But what would he want with Ward? This doesn’t make sense.”

“Grant’s a super soldier, Simmons. What else would anyone want him for?” Skye stated coldly. “It’s Grant’s childhood coming back to life.”

“Then we try to pinpoint where Garrett possibly could be.” May stated. “That’s where Ward would be. He’s probably not in that base. It’s been a few hours. Ward could be a long way from here.”

Skye took a sharp breath to steady herself, “God, I hope not.” she muttered. “This can’t be happening. This isn’t real.” She looked back up, “We’ve got to find him before it’s too late.

There’s no telling to what could be done to him.”

 

 

(Elsewhere)

Grant numbly looked up as he heard the door swing open. His vision was starting to go blurry, so it was hard for him to make out who was in the room. But he could tell that it wasn’t Raina.

“You made it incredibly easy for me to get to you, boy. You care way too much about those idiots of yours.”

Grant’s stomach grew cold at the new voice. He knew that voice anywhere and it sent shivers down his spine. He blinked to clear his vision and he finally saw none other than John Garrett striding towards him with a shit-eating grin on his face.

A sudden burst of rage shot through Grant and he violently struggled at his restraints, fire burning deep within his eyes. But, of course, he couldn’t muster the strength to rip from the cuffs. Even his flames still wouldn’t respond.

Garrett practically guffawed at the sight, “How does it feel to be powerless, _boy_?” he asked. “I got that special little sedative straight from your Hydra friends. Well, Horizon friends. All in the same. Strong enough to render even the strongest super soldier powerless. Wonder what it could do to the Hulk.”

The flames flickered angerly in Grant’s eyes, but Grant didn’t respond. He couldn’t quite find the courage in order to do so.He struggled against the restraints again to no avail.

“You better not wear yourself out, we still need you. Raina may be done taking blood from you for now, but she’s testing your blood on subjects. And you know what? It’s not going so well right now. The first subject? Let’s just say that he died. Horribly. Blood from the eyes isn’t a great way to go.”

Grant’s nostrils flared as memories suddenly flashed through his mind. The memories of his friends laying dead on the ground. Blood coming from their eyes. The one sign that their bodies could no longer handle the serums and injections.

“You’re going to put that in your fucking body?!” Grant roared, the air briefly heating up around them. “You’re fucking sick!”

Garrett smiled, “I have nothing to lose, son. I’m dead if I don’t try. Raina’s going to work with it until it stops killing people.” He took a few steps forward and leaned in towards Grant, “Just what are you?” he asked lowly. “You aren’t human. You aren’t anything known to mankind. You’re an abomination. A monster. I have no use for you other than your miracle blood. Maybe Hydra can finish turning you into what they wanted. I wonder just what that could be.”

“I’ll kill you before any of that can happen!” Grant hissed, a vein bulging in his neck. Flames flared from his eyes again. “I’ll burn you until there’s nothing left.”

“Ah, that right there.” Garrett pointed at Grant. “The rage shining in your eyes. That’s inhuman. You know what I see right now?”

“Fucking humor me.”

“I see the face of a devil.” Garrett turned and walked a few steps away, “Maybe that’s what you are, Agent Ward. All that inane experimentation on you turned you into a demon in the end.” He turned back around and stared him down, “Just what did Hydra want for you? What are you supposed to be, boy? Just what will you become once Hydra finally finishes their experiments?”

“Go to hell.” Grant spat, baring his teeth at him.

Garrett smiled once more, “Oh, I’ve already been there. They didn’t want me.” he answered. “Guess I was too much for the Devil himself.”

“I’ll get out of here and I’ll kill all of you. Every last one of you.”

“And what will that precious team of yours think about that?” Garrett asked, pointing once more at him. “You may be an assassin, but they don’t see you as a killer. Not yet. What will they see in you if you kill everyone in this building? They’ll no longer love and protect you. They’ll hate and despise you. Even that girl of yours.”

Grant’s eyes widened, but he remained silent.

“They’ll see you as a monster. Nothing more, nothing less. And, remember, if you even attempt to escape, I’ll shoot that damn plane of theirs out of the sky. So I really think that it’s in your best interest to stay here and remain compliant until I am through with you.

Maybe Raina’s experiments won’t take that long and I can go ahead and use your blood. And if it doesn’t work?” Garrett paused and smiled, “Maybe I’ll get that girl of yours and bring her here to see why it worked on her. There has to be something there.”

He turned around and began to walk off, “Either way, I’ll get what I want in the end. Just you see.”

Garrett left the room and left Grant silently fuming in his own anger, which was quickly rising to unprecedented levels due to Garrett’s threat against Skye. It was honestly a good thing that he was sedated or there would be hell to pay for everyone around.

“I’ll kill you.” Grant growled, fire still pouring from his eyes. “I’ll kill every single last one of you.

And I don’t fucking care to what anyone says.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there you go. The team is figuring things out. Grant finally meets the true Garrett. And Grant's rage is slowly reaching the breaking point. It's just a matter of time before it breaks. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	30. Don't Give Up on Me Today

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The road was brighter at the beginning  
> when I lived inside a dream.  
> Is it too late now for you to see me  
> when I'm breaking at the seams?"
> 
> Coming Apart - Red

(Two Days Later)

Grant moaned as he peeled himself off of the cold, stone floor and managed to pull himself up into a sitting position. The last he remembered was Raina’s scientists pumping him full of the sedative. Looking around, he realized that he was no longer strapped to that chair. At least they gave him the luxury of a stone cell. Well, he wasn’t tied up anymore.

But they still had him drugged-up to the point where he could hardly even move. And even if he could summons his flames, they would do no good against stone. Fire couldn’t melt stone. Well, at least his flames couldn’t. He knew that he couldn’t get them that hot without causing damage to himself.

But did he really care about that anymore at this point?

He really didn’t care to what happened to him as long as Garrett left the others alone. Truly, he was losing all hope in himself at this point and he would die before he let Garrett touch anyone else. But did he really want to let Garrett get what he wanted?

There was no telling to what would happen to Garrett once he injected Grant’s blood into himself. Yes, it worked seamlessly with Skye, but that didn’t mean that it would with Garrett. Grant hoped that it would kill him as painfully as it had everyone else. But there was a part of him that feared that it would do the complete opposite.

What if it turned Garrett into exactly what Grant was?

Grant tried to shake that thought out of his head as he pulled himself up onto the tiny cot that had been provided for him. His body began to tremble as he pulled his legs close to his body. He had lost the will to cry. Honesty, he had lost the will to live again. But he knew that he couldn’t end it all. He knew that doing so would make Garrett want to kill the others. He had to keep pushing through this misery just so the others could survive.

Grant sat there in silence for a while before the door flung open and he numbly looked up to see Garrett standing there, a scowl on his face. He remained silent and looked away, not wanting to look at the man. The only response on Grant’s end was the soft, continuous shake of his body.

“I can’t believe this.” Garrett snorted. “The big, bad super soldier is _afraid_. How pathetic. Hydra really fucked you up, didn’t they? You’re a complete and utter _failure_ , aren’t you? I hope that your blood doesn’t do the same thing to me.”

Something shot through Grant’s body. Anger, perhaps? But he didn’t have the strength to act on it. And it was probably a good thing, too.

Garrett sneered and took a step into the room, “What? No answer?” he asked. “You better be glad that we’re almost done with you. I think Raina’s already coming up with a solution to our ‘little’ death problem coming from your blood. Maybe another day or two tops. Then your ass is off to Hydra. Done deal. And then I’ll leave that precious team of yours alone.”

“I don’t think you mean it.”

The older agent blinked, “Huh?” he asked, surprised that Grant had even said anything.

Grant stayed right where he was, “I don’t trust you.” he croaked. “I don’t think you’ll leave them alone. You’ll want to test out your new self. And who else better than someone who’s now your enemy.”

“I…” Garrett smiled slightly. “Why would you even think that?”

“Once they find out that you’re responsible for what happened, Coulson will want you dead.” Grant slowly sat up and looked at Garrett blankly. “I know that you won’t leave them alone then.”

“I’m not worried about Coulson, son. He couldn’t hurt a flea.”

Anger flashed briefly across Grant’s face, “Don’t call me son. Only Coulson can do that.”

Garrett almost laughed, “Do you really think that I care? Because I don’t. None of you mean a single damn thing to me. You’re only my way of achieving a new life.” He paused and then smiled once more.

“You know what? You’re right. I really don’t mean it. I just said all of that to you so you would be compliant with what I want.” he continued. “But now that I’ve got the blood I need, I don’t care what happens anymore. I might just go ahead and dispose of those bugs before they can rat me out. Coulson already knows that I’m no good.” Something shone in his eyes, “And I might go ahead and get that girl of yours. We might need her just in case something does happen with the blood tests.”

Anger suddenly flared in Grant’s eyes and he tried to launch himself towards Garrett, but he fell to the ground halfway. The sedative still had him way too weak. Grant snarled and looked up at Garrett, flames weakly glowing in his eyes, “I don’t care what happens to me. Just don’t touch _her_. Don’t fucking touch any of them. You keep their hands off of them or I will find a way to rip you limb from limb.”

Garrett smiled and turned around, walking out of the room, “I don’t even think that you are able to do that.” he stated. “You’re far too weak to even fight back.

You’re pathetic.”

And with that, Garrett slammed the cell door shut, leaving Grant all alone on the floor. He curled back up on himself, just hoping that the others would be alright. That’s all he wanted. He just wanted to protect them.

But how could he even protect him when he was falling apart at the seams?

He couldn’t even protect himself.

 

* * *

 

 

(Elsewhere)  


“Is there like a list of potential Centipede bases somewhere in SHIELD’s files?” Triplett asked, crossing his arms. “If anything, Garrett probably took Ward to one of them. Unless he’s got some secret base we don’t know about. Which is probably the case.”

Coulson shrugged, a weak light in his eyes, “I don’t know. Skye’s currently working to decrypt some files we found at the last base.” he answered. He turned towards Skye, “How’s that going?”

“Not good.” Skye sighed and shook her head, “There is a _load_ of protection on these things. It’ll probably take me another day or two to crack this stuff.” she explained. “I’m just really hoping that all of this work is worth it and there is _something_ in here.”

“Is there anything we could look at in the meantime?” Fitz asked, watching as Max tried to nose his way into Skye’s lap. Skye was the only one that Max would interact with other than Coulson.

Skye shrugged, “I’ll try to find marked locations in SHIELD’s database and then scan them. I was thinking we could run them for a heat sig.”

“Heat sig?” Triplett asked. “Why that?”

“Grant has an usually high body temp. At least 109 or so. That would appear differently than other people on a heat scan.” Skye tried to explain. “And that’s if he’s not using his powers. It would be easy to detect if he had recently used his powers.”

“That’s a good start, but I have a feeling that he’s not anywhere that’s known.” Coulson stated quietly. “Hopefully those files will contain the answer that we need and we can get to him soon. I know that he’s not handling this well. If anything, it probably reminds him of what Horizon did to him. So I imagine that he’s not in the best mental state right now. That means that we need to find him as soon as possible. And then bring Garrett in for treason and kidnapping. That’ll get him years in the Fridge.”

“He deserves more than that.” Skye muttered, returning her attention back to the programs that she had running on her laptop. “I just want Grant back. He doesn’t deserve any of this.”

“And I know that. I’m trying my hardest to find him. I’ve already got Hill and a few other of the higher-ups on the case. They’re on high-alert trying to find Garrett.” Coulson answered. His voice was strained and grief-laden. It still hurt him that his friend betrayed him and kidnapped the man who he considered to be his son. “Hopefully we can find Grant soon and bring him home. I hate to know what this is doing to him. I’m afraid he’s going to end up like how he was before the team. Which is the last thing he needs.”

Skye drew in a sharp breath, setting the laptop aside to let the programs run. Max took this chance to jump up onto the couch and to lay his head in her lap, causing her to smile slightly. She knew that the shepherd missed Grant so much.

“I just want him back. I want him where he’s safe and happy.” she stated. “He needs to be with friends. He just got over me almost dying, now this? There’s no way that he’s okay. He needs to be back here.

I want him back before he can fall apart again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so things get much worse. Garrett's planning on taking the team out now to protect himself. So we've got to hope that the team finds Grant soon. (And yes I'm using lyrics as the summaries now. I thought it was better that way.) Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	31. Unleash the Beast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You are a time bomb ticking away.  
> You need to release what you're feeling inside.  
> Let out the beast that you're trying to hide."
> 
> Violence Fetish - Disturbed

(The Next Day)

“Keep your hands off of me!”

Grant struggled against his restraints as the scientists pinned him down once more, “I don’t understand.” he continued. “I thought you were done with me. Why this?”

Raina smiled as she approached him, careful to keep her distance, “Garrett wanted me to run a few more tests to see a couple of different things. He’s interested in just what your body can do since he’s hoping that your blood will give him your abilities in addition to saving him as well.” she explained. “And by the way, I am extremely close to stabilizing your blood in order to administer it to Garrett without any side effects. Hopefully.” She smiled once more, “Time to have a little more fun with you before we turn you over to Hydra. As long as we don’t kill you, we’re free to do whatever we like. And it apparently takes a hell of a lot to kill you.”

Grant’s eyes widened in anger and he snarled, the slightest of sparks flaring from his eyes, “Go to hell." he spat. I don’t get why you get so damn excited over this stuff.” he growled. “It makes no freaking sense to me. You like torturing people?”

“Well, let’s just say that it’s all part of the scientific process. You can’t move forward if there isn’t some pain.”

Grant’s lips curled into a nasty snarl, “Fuck off.”

“I’ll gladly leave and watch from where I’m safe. I don’t fully trust that sedative, you know.” she answered, turning her back to him. “There’s no telling to what could happen if you’re in enough pain.”

His eye flared again, but he remained silent as the scientists descended onto him once more and Raina left the room. She reappeared behind a thick window several feet away. Grant couldn’t help but to wonder where Garrett was with all of this.

The scientists repositioned the chair to where Grant was laying down and they began to cut his shirt off of him. Grant’s heart lept into his throat once he realized just what they were going to do to him.

They were going to cut on him again.

He immediately started to thrash against the restraints, trying his best to get out despite the body-numbing sedative still being his system. Two of the scientists came up to him and held him down by his shoulders so a third could inject even more sedative into him. A few seconds passed before he suddenly felt dizzy and slumped into the chair.

A scientist then nodded and was handed a scalpel. Grant’s eyes widened again and he thrashed weakly.

“K-Keep it away from me.” he slurred, trying his best to scream. “Not that….”

Grant’s vision went black right as the scientist pressed the tip of the sharp scalpel to his chest and buzzing filled his ears.

_“Hold him down! We can’t risk having him loose! You know what? Just give him more sedative, it won’t hurt him. The most it’ll do is slow down his healing rate some.”_

_“L-Leave me alone! Get that thing away from me!”_

_“You have no say in this, remember? We’re free to do whatever we please to you. So shut that damn mouth of yours and this will go smoothly. It’ll only take a few minutes. Stay still and it won’t hurt that much.”_

_“Get away from me! Don’t touch me!”_

_“You have no say in this! We’ll do what we want!”_

Grant gasped as his vision cleared and he thrashed again against the restraints, finally mustering enough strength to rip free from them. He fell out of the chair and to the ground, quickly crawling away from the scientists. The scientists starting yelling and looked towards Raina for an answer but she only held up a finger for them to wait. She wanted to see what would happen.

With a moan and a shudder, Grant pressed his head to the cold, concrete floor, trying to push down the growing heat. Droplets of blood dripped onto the stone beneath him from what the scientist had managed to cut open as it began to heal.

The memory had awoken something dormant inside of him, something that hadn’t seen the light of day in a very long time. Even Skye being shot hadn’t been enough to fully awaken it, but that had been the catalyst. The beginning of something terrible.

Grant’s body shook again as he tried to rein himself in, but at this point he really didn’t care if was able to control himself or not. Whatever this part of him was, all it wanted was to kill. Revenge.

Maybe it was the darkness and anger that had brewing deep within him all of his life. This rage hadn’t been unleashed a whole lot, but it was the rage that led to him being feared.

“What… What he is doing?” one scientist asked. “What’s going on?”

Raina’s voice suddenly echoed out, “Evolution. This is the pinnacle of human evolution.”

Grant screamed out as flames as blue as the sky ripped from his body and consumed every last bit of him.

Hell on Earth had finally been unleashed.

 

 

* * *

 

 

(Elsewhere)  


“And I got it! The files are open!”

Coulson came running as soon as he heard Skye’s shout, “You did?!” he exclaimed. “Please tell me that there’s anything about Grant in there.”

Skye shrugged, “I don’t even know where to begin, honestly.” she answered. “I can cross-reference things with the files and see what comes up.”

Coulson sighed and nodded, “Keywords, you mean.” he stated, looking at the laptop screen. “Try either his name, Horizon, Project Genesis, or Hellfire. Garrett has to be at least using one of those to keep files on Grant. If that's what he's interested in, then there has to be ties to that somewhere. Or anything dealing with super soldiers. There’s no telling. I don't even know if he knows about Horizon or not..”

“I’ll try something. Honestly, it looks like there isn’t a whole lot of bases according to these files.” she commented as she began to scroll through the information. “I could just run a heat sig of each one and see what I get. That might be the easiest way to go.” She typed in a few commands and pressed enter, “There, it’s running. If we’re lucky, something will pop up. I’m praying that this is the key. I’m….” she trailed off as something popped up on the screen. She paused it to look at the data, “This… This doesn’t make sense.”

Coulson frowned, “What are you talking about?”

“This.” She turned the computer around and pointed at a heat sig layout. “This one is detecting something that’s several hundred degrees, almost 1,500 degrees. Either they have a huge fire going or…”

“Or something’s going on with Grant and that’s where he’s at.” Coulson finished for her, his face quickly falling. “His flames don’t burn that hot. Normally. Well, there was one time….”

“Huh?”

“He got hurt in the field and freaked out. His flames turned bright blue and melted everything around him.” Coulson explained slowly, beginning to head towards the cockpit. “That’s one of the times he completely and utterly lost it. That has to be where he’s at. We’ve got to get there now. Where is it?”

Skye’s heart was in her throat as she looked back at the screen, “Two states over. In the middle of New Mexico.”

“Then we can get there in no time. We’ve got to get there before there’s nothing left.

There’s nothing there to stop the force of Grant’s rage. It’ll keep going until he burns himself out. And I don’t even want to know what will happen to him once he reaches that point.

We’ve got to get to him now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it. Grant finally breaks. Let's just hope that the others can get to him before things get too bad. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	32. Pouring the Fuel, Fanning the Flames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It's uncontrollable, such a beautiful desire.  
> There's something sinister about the way it hurts  
> when I watch it burn (higher and higher).  
> Because I can't go back.  
> The ashes call my name."
> 
> Point of No Return - Starset

(A Little Over an Hour Later)

The first thing that the team noticed as they landed near the Centipede base was the billowing smoke. Thick, black smoke poured out of several areas of the building, wafting high into the sky. And that was the only thing Coulson needed to truly know this was where Grant was.

“I… I don’t think that’s a good sign.” Fitz commented as they stood at the base of the cargo bay door. He turned to face Coulson, “ _Just_ how berserk can he get?” he asked. “What are we walking into here?”

“Honestly? I really don’t know.” Coulson answered, continuing to stare at the smoke. “But I want you, Simmons, and Skye to stay here. I can’t risk having non-combat agents in the field with this.”

“Wait!” Skye protested, stepping forward towards Coulson. “I need to be there for him.”

“And I don’t want you getting hurt. There’s no telling to what state of mind Grant’s in right now if he’s truly gotten that far. You’re not going. Especially after the last mission. I lost Grant last time. I’m not going to lose you again.”

“No, I’m going.” Skye stated, standing her ground. “I want to be there for him. He needs more friendly faces to get to him. I’m not just going to sit back and do nothing when there’s no telling to what’s going on with him.”

Coulson took a sharp breath and pinched the bridge of his nose in resignation, “Fine. But stay close to either me or Trip. May will stay back here on the Bus to help monitor the situation and to call in further help once it’s needed. I like to recover Grant before I call in strike teams to take this place down. Hopefully, we can get to Garrett as well.” He paused for a second before continuing, “Trip, make sure you’re fully armed and give Skye a Night Night Gun. Follow my lead and hopefully we can do this as fast as possible. I don’t want anyone else getting hurt.”

He quickly led Skye and Trip out of the Bus and down towards the base. The smell of smoke grew stronger and stronger as they got closer and they could hear the faint blare of alarms from somewhere within the facility. They weren’t sure of what they would find once they got inside, they just hoped that Grant was okay, though.

After a few minutes, they finally got into the base, quickly having to cover their noses due to the heavy smoke.

“Sir, there’s no way that we’re going to be able to stay in here for a long time.” Trip stated as the slowly walked through the hallway. “The smoke’ll get to us sooner or later.”

“I know that. Hopefully, we can find Grant soon enough.” Coulson said in response, noting that there were no Centipede soldiers anywhere around. Had they already fled or worse? Had Grant killed them all?

A part of Coulson knew that Grant had that capability. That was what Horizon had tried to build him into after all. That capability was there, Grant just never honed in on it. Grant wasn’t the killer Horizon wanted him to be. But, truly, the release of his blue flames was what he was always intended to be. If whatever hidden genetic programming Horizon had written into his genome had awakened, there would be no stopping him.

Coulson feared that Horizon had finally gotten the soldier they had always wanted.

After a while, Coulson finally stopped dead in his tracks, staring at a twisted and melted door, “There. He has to be there.” he stated, pointing directly at the door.

Skye frowned, “What makes you say that?” she asked. “Everything’s pretty much on fire here.”

“That’s because it’s the most damaged thing around here. Those flames melt everything around him for a several foot radius when they burst out of him” Coulson explained, turning towards the twisted lump of metal. “Meaning he was probably in that room when it happened. And by the looks of that door, it was built to keep something in. Maybe a cell or a lab.” He shuddered at the thought of Grant being experimented on again. “So something happened, triggered him, and he lost it. But it doesn’t look like he could’ve escaped through it unless there was another door in the room. So maybe there’s hope that he’s still in there.”

“And how do you expect us to get in there?” Trip asked, walking up to the door and noting that heat still billowed off of it. “It’s still hot as hell and I’m definitely not firing my gun at it if Ward’s in there. That’s a bad situation waiting to happen.”

Coulson nodded slowly, “You’re right about that. I don’t want to spook him and send him into another frenzy.” he stated. “There has to be another way into that room.” He walked back and forth for a bit before stopping. “We’ll just have to throw something at it. It’s so damaged that it probably won’t take much for it to fall apart.” he stated. “If it just falls apart, it won’t be as bad as firing a bullet.”

“Okay… Not as bad of a plan, but still risky.” Skye stated, still staring at the door. “But what are you going to throw at it?”

Trip look around and noticed a small crate nearby. He quickly walked over to it and picked it up, bringing it back to them, “Here, this’ll work. It’s sturdy enough that it should knock it right down. Just stand back.”

Once Coulson and Skye were out of the way, Trip threw the crate right at the door and, luckily, the force of the crate hitting the destroyed metal caused the door to give way and fall inwards with a resounding crash. Trip winced as the crash rang out.

“I hope that it wasn’t too loud.”

Coulson took a sharp breath and began to walk towards the now-opened doorway, “I guess that it really doesn’t matter now.” he stated. “If Grant’s berserk, I don’t think a crashing door would do anymore harm.” He paused right as he got into the room.

“What the?”

“Huh? What did you find?” Skye asked as she and Trip came to stand behind the older man. “What….”

She trailed off as she noticed the figure huddled in the middle of the room. Bright blue flames burned off of his bare skin as the air shimmered around him from the intense heat. Two burned corpses laid next to him and there wasn’t an inch left of the room that wasn’t charred or melted.

“G-Grant?” Skye asked quietly, pushing around Coulson so she get closer. But Coulson put an arm out in front of her and pushed her back.

“No, don’t get close. Something’s wrong.”

Grant’s head perked up at the sound of Coulson’s voice and he slowly turned his head to look at them. Both of his eyes were nothing but red orbs and there was no emotion in his face whatsoever. He slowly stood to his feet, turning to look at them.

“And he’s naked.” Trip muttered. “That’s nice.”

“His clothes were probably the first things that were burnt away by the flames.” Coulson whispered, fear brewing deep within his chest as Grant took one slow, shaky step towards them.

No emotion registered on his face and his blood-red eyes stared straight through him. Truly, it creeped the hell out of Skye and she swore that he looked possessed.

“Grant?” she whispered. “Is… Is that you?”

Grant tilted his head and remained silent.

Coulson’s face fell as he realized something, “The emotionless soldier. He’s finally the monster Horizon wanted him to be.” he croaked, shaking his head ever so slowly. “They wanted him to be the ultimate killing machine. One who wasn’t restrained by his emotions. That’s why he’s always had emotional issues. But is this what it culminates to?”

“Grant, listen to me.” Skye continued, taking a single step towards him. “The threat’s gone. You get to come home now. We can call in a strike and they can come arrest every single damn person in this base. You’ll be safe again.”

Grant’s flames flickered, like they were responding for him.

“Maybe Coulson will let us go somewhere nice for a while. Somewhere where we can relax and have fun for a change.” she continued softly. “No more Horizon. No more Garrett. Just us. Just you and this team. Not whatever this is.”

“No. You’re just like them.” Grant croaked, his voice crackling just like his flames. “Just like Hydra. I… I don’t want anyone near me.”

Trip blinked, “Hold on. Did he just say _Hydra_? As in World War II Hydra? The Hydra that my grandfather helped Captain American to defeat? That Hydra?” he asked in disbelief. “What is he talking about? They’ve been dead for decades.”

“They have.” Coulson confirmed, not knowing what was going on. “Grant, what are you talking about?”

“Pity. Hate. It’s all the same.” Grant continued to stare at them. “You treat me like I’m fragile. Like I’ll break at any second. But I am not like that. I am what Hydra created me to be.” He came towards Coulson and his hand shot out, grabbing the older man by the throat and hoisting him into the air. His flames licked dangerously at the air around Coulson.

“I am tired of it. I am tired of being treated like a bomb waiting to go off at any moment.” Grant continued, his toneless voice quickly morphing into a growl. “If this is what you were keeping me from, then you restrained me. I feel _amazing_.”

“Grant, listen to yourself. This isn’t you.” Coulson pleaded. “This is not who you are. You aren’t like this. This is your rage talking. Please just calm down and come back with us. We can fix this. We-“ He was cut off as Grant tightened his hand around the older man’s throat.

“Shut up. I don’t want to hear it.”

Skye looked at Trip, seeing fear shining in the agent’s eyes. Honestly, she didn’t know what to do. She was afraid that saying the wrong thing would get Coulson killed in the end. This definitely wasn’t Grant Ward.

A sudden laugh from behind drew their attention and they turned to see Garrett come into the room. He sneered at the sight of Grant holding Coulson in a death grip.

“I think this is quite poetic. Being killed by the very person you save all those years ago.” he stated. “I don’t know what the hell’s gotten into him, but I like this.” Skye noticed that he was holding a vial of _something_ in his hands. “I should’ve gotten my hands on him years ago.

Seems like the Devil’s finally come out to play after all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there you have it. Grant's basically become someone else. And now Garrett's shown back up as well. And that can't end well. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	33. The Sickness is Rising

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Looking at my own reflection  
> when suddenly it changes,  
> violently it changes.  
> Oh no, there is no turning back now.  
> You've woken up the demon in me."
> 
> Down With the Sickness - Disturbed

Grant dropped Coulson as soon as he saw Garrett. A wild, wrath-filled smile formed on his face as he turned to face the older man. And Skye wished that she could scrub the image of that smile out of her brain. That wasn’t something she wanted to see again.

“You really bother to show yourself after everything that you’ve done to me?” Grant asked, his tone both angry and happy. “You’re the one that caused this. Just because you’re too hesitant to die.” He took a step towards Garrett, not noticing the vial in his hands. “You clearly don’t know just how much I’m going to enjoy burning you until there’s nothing left.”

Coulson looked up and continued to rub his throat. He knew that he would have a bruise there in the morning, but that was honestly the least of his worries. He had no idea of how to stop Grant at all. Garrett would only be the first in a long line of bodies to come. If Grant really had become what Horizon made him to be, then there would be no stopping him. 

Grant was supposed to be the ultimate soldier, but it seemed as though Coulson was wrong about him being emotionless. Grant was a monster fueled both by rage and the yearning for destruction. He would gladly tear down whoever stood in his way.

Garrett smiled, “Oh, I don’t think you want to do that quite yet.” he stated. “And could you even possibly do that in front of them?” he asked, gesturing to Skye and Coulson. “Would you really murder someone in front of them?”

“I…” Grant stopped and tilted his head, looking over to them. He blinked and shook his head as something in Skye’s gaze was calling out towards him, but he quickly ignored it. “I don’t care for them any longer.” he stated. “All they ever did was belittle me. Treat me like I was weak. And if this was what they were holding me back from, then I  _ despise  _ them for it.” Grant spread his arms out and the blue flames danced violently around him, “I love this.”

“Grant…” Skye took a brave step towards him. “Listen to yourself. This isn’t you. Hell, this is what you’ve been running from your whole life. You… You aren’t like this. You aren’t a monster. You need to calm down and come back to us before you some real damage. Everyone’s back at the Bus waiting for you.”

Grant tilted his head once more, “I don’t care about them either.” he stated, his voice monotone once more. “I don’t care about anyone other than myself.” He turned back towards Garrett, “You can’t trust anyone but yourself. You should’ve learned that by now.”

Before anyone could realize it, Grant was suddenly behind Garrett. He shot his hand out and grabbed the older agent by the throat, hoisting him up into the air with ease. “This is what you wanted, Garrett.” he laughed, not noticing the man stuff the vial into his pocket. He threw Garrett down to the ground, a crack sounding out as he hit the concrete.

Garrett huffed, but he knew that he couldn’t act just yet. He needed to wait for the right moment before making his move. Acting too early would get him killed.

Grant loomed over Garrett, another wild smile forming on his face, “To think this is how it ends for you… It’s quite funny.” he said with another laugh. His flames crackled as though they were laughing as well. “I love it.”

“Hydra really created a monster, didn’t they?” Garrett asked, sneering at him from below. “I still think that I’m right about the whole devil thing.”

Coulson’s stomach froze as he stood up, “Hydra?” he asked. “There’s no way. They’ve been dead for years, John. You’re spouting nonsense.”

“Oh, wake up, Phil. They’ve been right under your noses this entire time. Hydra? They’ve been a part of SHIELD for decades. No one’s realized it yet, though.”

The color drained from Coulson’s face, “T-There’s no way…” he stammered. “We… We’ve been infiltrated this entire time? How… How did they create Grant?” he asked, not sure of where to go. His head was spinning at this point.

“Horizon was just a code name for one of their science divisions. They’re the ones that started Project Genesis and created the subject known as Hellfire. And boy… Did they create one hell of a monster.”

Grant snarled and kicked Garrett in the stomach, sending him skidding across the concrete floor, “Shut up!” he roared, the blue flames flaring in response. “I am not a monster!”

Garrett laughed as blood came bubbling up his throat. He spit the blood out on the floor and struggled to look back up at him, “You’ve got balls, kid. Figuratively and literally.”

Grant’s eyes flared and a bright blue fireball appeared in his palm. He went to fling it towards Garrett, but Skye’s voice stopped him.

“Grant, stop!”

He lowered his hand and turned around, the fireball snuffing out. 

“Leave him alone. I know that you hate him, I do too. But you can’t do this. You’re not a murderer like this.” she pleaded with him, taking a small step towards him. “I know that you hate killing people. Garrett isn’t worth it. Stop this now and we’ll call in a strike team. And he’ll rot in jail where he belongs. He’s not worth losing yourself over.”

“You don’t understand.” Grant hissed, his arms shaking under the pressure of his flames. “I wanna kill him. You don’t know the torture he’s made me endure. I want him  _ dead _ .”

“And I understand that, Grant. But this isn’t you. You don’t kill people like this. You may be an assassin, but you’re not a murderer. Don’t be the monster Hydra wanted you to be. And, honestly, that’s all I’m seeing right now, Grant.” Skye quietly explained. “Don’t do this. Please, come back to us. This… This isn’t you.”

Grant snarled once again, “You… You don’t get it!” he snapped. “He deserves to die! All of them. No one’s going to stop me, Skye. Not even you. I’ll have them all dead before you can even realize it. Hell, a few of them are already dead. I’ll have Garrett’s head and then I’ll kill Raina. You can’t stop me.” His snarl quickly turned into a smile, “It’s what I want. You can’t stop me from getting what I want.”

“No, but I can.”

Grant frowned and spun around to see Garrett striding towards him, fire-red veins lacing up his neck and onto his face. His eyes fell onto the vial in Garrett’s hand and the blood trickling down his arm and he immediately knew what he had done.

Garrett had injected himself with his blood.

Grant could already tell that he was having a reaction to it that Skye hadn’t. Skye hadn’t reacted to the blood at all other than it healing her wound. 

“John, what the hell did you do?” Coulson asked angrily, seeing the growing fear in Grant’s eyes. “What the hell was in the vial?”

“What I’ve been searching for for years, Phil.” Garrett answered, a crazed smile forming on his face as the veins reached his eyes and his eyes slowly turned red. “A way to live. And your boy here has finally given me what I want and possibly even more. I feel great.”

Smoke began to curl from his skin as he took another step towards Grant. The memory of his friends dying oh so long ago violently came back to the surface as Grant struggled to comprehend what Garrett had done. The flames briefly snuffed out before roaring at full force again. 

“You bastard! What the fuck did you just do!” Grant roared, being all but consumed by his flames once more. “I told you to leave it the hell alone!”

“I don’t care for what you’ve got to say, boy.” Garrett spat, his body starting to tremble. “I feel amazing and there’s nothing that you can do to stop me now. It’s me and you. Or maybe I’ll just go ahead and kill those two to get them out of the way. You did say that you didn’t care for them anymore, right?”

Grant snarled and launched himself towards the man, his blue flames rippling across the room as he did so.

“You won’t touch them! Don’t touch them!” he roared, starting to feel himself slip away even further. The flames crackled and covered him until there was nothing left of him. 

“Stay away!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there you have it. Grant's possibly lost himself further to the monster and Garrett's injected himself with Grant's blood. It's just a question of what comes next. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	34. It's the End of Your Age

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Wake, unafraid.  
> A new day, a new time is here.  
> Worlds fade away,  
> I'll laugh while they all disappear!  
> Frailty, frailty..."
> 
> Singularity - Red

“What. The. Hell.”

Trip blinked and took a large step back as the blue flaming mass shot himself towards Garrett, “This is crazy, man. Freakin’ crazy.” he muttered as Garrett sidestepped Grant’s attack with surprising speed. Grant’s blood was already starting to change him, but Triplett suspected that it was in all the wrong ways. If it had transformed an innocent child such as Grant into a monster, what would it do to someone who was already a monster? He shivered at the thought.

Grant roared as he flung more flames at Garrett, but he simply dodged them as though they were nothing.

“You don’t understand, boy.” Garrett chided, sparks starting to lick at his own skin. “I’m on your level now, so don’t expect me to go down so easily.” He smiled as his eyes turned blood red, “We’re one in the same now.”

“I am nothing like you!” Grant screamed, trying to fling himself towards Garrett once more. “So don’t even try to compare me to you! You’re just a madman who refuses to die!”

“Funny, I could say the same thing about you.” Garrett suddenly moved to where he was right behind Grant, knocking him to the ground with a punch so hard that it sent the man flying.

Grant’s flames snuffed out as he hit the far wall with a thud, the concrete cracking against the force of his body. He moaned as he pulled himself to his feet, flames still blazing deep within his eyes as he glared at Garrett, “You don’t understand what the hell you have done, have you?” he asked coldly, a wild gleam in his eyes. “I was made this way by _years_ of experimentation. Do you really think that you can become like me in a matter of seconds?” He laughed darkly, “I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

He paused and looked at Garrett with a tilt of his head. He took note of the pulsing red veins lacing their way up onto his face and the way his body trembled and shook, “It’s fighting you, isn’t it?” he asked, taking a small stride towards him with a slight smile on his face. “It’s making you sick and you know it. Nothing good comes from my blood. It might’ve healed Skye, but you aren’t her.” He titled his head again, “Like I said, you’re just a poor bastard who refuses to die. Just give up and drop dead. Burn in hell where you belong. I’m tired of this.”

Garrett forced a smile and charged his way towards Grant, “I’m not giving up so easily. This? This is just a bump in the road.” he stated firmly, dodging a swing from Grant. “This is nothing.”

Coulson blinked as he watched the fight, wishing that there was something that he could do. The most he could do was go ahead and call in a strike team, hoping that Grant could deal with Garrett before they got here. He didn’t want to risk lives, so he had to be careful in his timing.

He couldn’t even try to shoot Garrett; he doubted that a bullet would stop him and a Night Night Gun bullet would just burn up in Garrett’s body. So, truly, the only thing that they all could do was to sit back and hope that Grant could at least do _something._ At least until the blood reaction took Garrett down. Coulson just hoped that Grant was right about Garrett’s body fighting the blood.

Grant flew around Garrett with a burst of flame to try and disorient him, but Garrett managed to knock him aimlessly to the side, flames starting to burn from his skin. Garrett grimaced and held his arm where the flames where, feeling his skin start to blister at burn.

“It’s burning you, isn’t it?” Grant asked gleefully as he rose to his feet. “I’ve never seen _this_ reaction before, but I find it quite poetic, don’t you say? You wanted to become me, and now you’re already being burned by it. No one can be like me. Maybe that’s why I was the only one that survived.” Sadness briefly flashed across his face before he shook his head, “You die sooner or later. It’s only a matter of time. Honestly, maybe I should just sit back and enjoy the show.” The deranged smile pulled at his lips once more, “Because I’m more than glad to watch you burn.”

Skye shivered at the sight of pure joy in Grant’s eyes. This wasn’t who he was supposed to be. What happened to the man that was afraid of everything and always wanted to be around just her? This wasn’t right. It was far from right. She just hoped that he would come to his senses soon, but she didn’t want to try to intervene again now that Garrett had gone completely and utterly mad.

“I think Hydra did more to you than they intended, son.” Garrett chided, rubbing at his arms as they continued to blister and burn. “You’re more than an emotionless soldier, you’re a demon who finds joy in violence and in death.” He smiled, “They created something so much more dangerous. I think they’ll be glad to know what’s become of you. But, sadly, I don’t think I can keep my end of the bargain up. I think I’ll have to kill all of you now. I don’t care about handing you over to Hydra, now that I’ve gotten what I want.”

“You just don’t get it, do you?” Grant asked, his voice crackling like the flames around him. He stood a step forward, “You’re _dying_ , there’s no way out of that. I’ve seen the serum and my blood kill many. I know that you’re not getting out of this alive.” He shot forward and grabbed Garrett by the throat, “Maybe I should just ease your suffering now before the blood starts gushing from your eyes.” He squinted at Garrett, noticing the tiniest specks of blood starting to form in the corners of his eyes, “And by my guess, you don’t have much longer.”

Flames flared from Garrett’s body, consuming Grant, “Fuck you.” he spat. “I,” He stopped suddenly as he started screaming, blistering burns appearing all over his body from where the flames had flared from, his clothes nothing but charred scraps.

Grant laughed as the flames died away to reveal that he was unscathed, “Did you really think that a little bit of fire would hurt _me_ of all people?” he asked mockingly, basking in Garrett’s pain as the man doubled over to the floor. “I thought that you were supposed to be smart. Guess not.”

Garrett looked up at Grant with a snarl, blood oozing from his eyes, “This wasn’t supposed to happen! We tested it time and time again!” he snapped, rubbing at the burns on his body once more. He looked over at Skye, “So what’s so fucking special about her?! Why didn’t anything happen to her?!”

“Because she’s Skye.” Grant knelt down in front of Garrett’s body and grabbed him by the neck again, “And I don’t want you talking that way towards her. Don’t you fucking dare yell at her, you hear me?” he asked, tightening his grip on the man’s neck. “You stay away from her.” Blue flames started to lick at the skin of Garrett’s neck, melting the skin on contact.

“Grant.” Skye stated firmly, taking a step forward. “The man’s already dying, you don’t have to resort to this. This isn’t you.” She hoped that she could finally get through to him. “Just… Just leave it be. He’ll die on his own anyways.”

Grant stiffened up and looked over towards Skye, confusion shining in his bright red eyes, “You don’t understand, Skye. I _want_ him dead. After every fucking thing he’s done to me this past week, I want him gone.” he stated coldly. “I,”

“But you’re not a murderer like this, Grant. I know you. The real you wouldn’t want this at all. Let him be and let his ass die on his own.” she continued. “Please.”

Grant’s shoulders suddenly slumped and his flames snuffed out. He blinked a few times before he realized that Garrett was in his grasp. He quickly dropped the man and scampered backwards across the floor, “W-What the hell?!” he stammered. “What’s going on?!”

Garrett’s head hit the floor with a loud crack, he weakly looked over towards Grant, “Fuck you. I wanted it all and you ruined _everything_. You should just die like the pathetic roach that you are.” he croaked, blood continuing to run out of his eyes. “You…” he trailed off. And with a violent shudder, he fell silent.

“Is… Is he dead?” Trip asked out loud, afraid to move. “Please tell me that that bastard’s dead.”

Coulson walked slowly towards Garrett’s fallen form. He crouched next to him and felt for a pulse, “Yeah… He’s… He’s dead.” he stated softly. Honestly, he wasn’t sure of what to make of the situation. Garrett had been his friend for so long that he still had trouble processing that he had been the bad guy all along. Now the man was dead. So it was still a lot for Coulson to wrap his head around.

“Grant!” Skye exclaimed, running over to Grant’s side as the man began to curl up on himself. “Are you alright?!”

“Tired.” he mumbled, exhaustion hitting him hard and fast. The extent of the blue flames had burnt up every bit of energy that he had left. “Wanna sleep…” He curled up on himself even further and was suddenly out like a light.

“Is he okay?” Trip asked as he walked up behind Skye.

“Yeah.” she breathed, feeling like a weight had been taken off of her shoulders. “He’s fine. Just asleep. I think that little, uh, episode drained him. I just hope that he’s okay after this.”

“The last time this happened he was a little out of it for a while.” Coulson said, coming over towards them and pulling out his phone. “But considering the extent of what happened, he may not be himself for a while. So… So, expect him being out of it. More like how he was at the start of the team.”

“Meaning he’ll need a lot of help. Again.”

“Yeah.” Coulson responded with a nod of his head. “I… I’ll call in a strike team to comb this base and to recover Garrett’s body. And to search for Raina. There’s no telling to where the hell she went.”

Skye nodded numbly, returning her attention back to Grant, gently reaching out to take one of his hands. “The threat’s gone now, Grant.” she whispered. “We can go back home now. We can rest for once.

Just please, be okay. I don’t want to lose you again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Garrett's gone, killed by Grant's blood. And of course I wasn't going to make it too long, I wanted to go ahead and start to wrap things up. But not like anyone's really going to complain... Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	35. How Can this Last Forever?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You gave me so much more than I could ever ask for.  
> But I turned and followed a road that left me hollow.  
> And still you waited for me to come back home.  
> You brought me home..."
> 
> Forever - Red

Grant didn’t wake up until the next day. The doctors couldn’t physically find anything wrong with him other than he was severally dehydrated, starved, and exhausted. Someone like him had to eat a whole lot on a day to day basis in order to survive since his powers constantly burned through his energy, and Garrett had hardly fed him in the past week. So Grant needed to be brought back to health. The doctors expected him to be in the SHIELD hospital for the next few days.

Grant woke up later in the day, freezing when his hand met something soft. He slowly opened his eyes to see Max sleeping peacefully on his lap. A small smile pulled at his lips as he gently thread his fingers through the shepherd’s velvet-soft fur.

“Grant?”

He blinked and slowly turned his head to see Skye standing to her feet, relief shining in her exhaustion-filled eyes, “Skye.” he mumbled, blindly reaching out for her. The movement caused Max to wake up. The dog barked in excitement and moved to lick Grant’s beard-covered face. Grant smiled again and gently pushed the dog away.

“Oh thank God, you’re finally awake.” Skye breathed, carefully moving Max to Grant’s feet so Grant could scoot over. She climbed into the hospital bed with him and laid her head on his shoulder, “I missed you.”

Blush lightly colored Grant cheeks, “What happened?” he croaked. He ran his hands through his hair and froze as he noticed the all-too-familiar tug of an IV. “It goes blank right after they wanted… They wanted to cut me open.”

Skye blinked and looked at him with a frown, “Do… Do you really want to know?” she asked quietly. Did he really need to know just what he had become? She was worried that it would put a strain on his mental state. He had always hated the concept of becoming a monster.

He looked away and his shoulders slumped, “I guess that it really doesn’t matter as long as no one got hurt. I just remember that Garrett’s dead.” The image of Garrett lying dead on the floor flashed through his mind and he shivered, remembering the blood flowing from the man’s eyes.

“I… I didn’t hurt you, did I?” he asked quietly, still not looking at her.

Grant’s jeers at her about how he no longer cared about her or the team came to mind, but she knew that he didn’t mean it at all. Honestly, it wasn’t even him who had said that.

She shook her head, “You said some things, but they don’t matter anymore. That wasn’t you.” she answered. “That was far from you.”

Grant frowned and looked back to her, “What do you mean it wasn’t me?” he questioned. “How much did I lose it?”

“It wasn’t like you lost control of your anger, it was like you were a completely different person.” she tried to explain the best she could. “I really can’t explain it. The doctors said something about a split personality or something.”

He raised an eyebrow, “You trying to say that I have an identity disorder or something?” he asked in disbelief.

“That’s what the doctors say. I think that your therapist wants to review some things with you once you’re released from here.” she explained. “Something about you developing another personality in order to protect yourself from everything that was happening. I don’t know. I really didn’t understand what they were trying to say. But it’s possible that it stems from the trauma you’ve been through your entire life. That it only decided to manifest now.”

Grant looked away and grew quiet for a while. Skye knew that he would probably fall into another one of his depressive states again. But she really didn’t blame him. He had gone through hell and back in the past week.

“Grant?”

“Can… Can we talk about something else?” he asked quietly. “I don’t feel very good…”

Skye immediately took his hand and began to lightly trace the palm of his hand, “Well, yeah. What do you want to talk about?”

“Where are the others?”

“They’re all pretty busy with Garrett revealing that Hydra’s alive and all.” she began to explain. “Coulson’s working with Fury and some other government officials to try and deal with it before it becomes too bad of a problem. It’s possible that an even worse situation was stopped by all of this. We don’t know the extent of the problem yet, though.”

Grant nodded slowly, staring off into the distance. He really wasn’t sure of what to say and he was really starting to feel terrible about himself once again. He had a hard time believing that he had turned into someone that really wasn’t him. Just what had he said to them? How many people had died because of him? Even though they had been bad guys, he still hated the thought that they were dead because he had lost control of himself.

He looked down to his hands. Was that _other_ him still under his skin? Just how much would it take for it to come out again?

“Is _he_ still there?” he asked, his voice hoarse. “I don’t want it hurting you.”

“Grant, sweetheart,” Skye began, placing a gentle kiss to the scar on his wrist. “It’ll be okay. We’ll find a way to help you through this. You don’t have to worry about him. Maybe it was just a one-time thing. No one’s going to bother you again. We’ll help you through this. Coulson’s not planning on taking any missions until you’re ready. You’ve got all the time in the world.”

Grant took a sharp breath, settling back down into the sheet. He motioned for Skye to do the same and she realized that he wanted her just to lay with him for a while. And, truly, that’s all she wanted right now. A little alone time with him was what she needed after the past week.

She settled in right next to him, burying herself in his chest as he rolled over onto his side. A smile pulled at her lips as he gently kissed the top of her head.

“I’m sorry.” he said in a whisper. “I’m sorry if I scared you.”

“Grant, you don’t have to apologize for anything.” she replied. “None of that was your fault. It was Garrett’s and now he’s dead. He got what was coming to him.”

Grant really wasn’t sure of what to say. Even though he hated Garrett, he hated the fact that the man had died like how his friends had died. To him, no one should die a death as horrible as that. But at least the threat was gone.

“I… I know that. It’s just that I should have a better hold on myself. I,”

“Grant, you can’t help anything that happened. You’re sick. You’re not at fault. So, please, don’t blame yourself for what happened, sweetheart. None of it is your fault.”

“Look, it’s just that,”

Skye pressed a finger to his lips to make him stop talking. She shook her head, “Like I said, don’t.” she stated firmly. “Not your fault. Look, you’re back home. You’re back where you can be happy. We’ll all find ways to make you comfortable and happy. It’s not a problem.”

Grant began to look away, but the smile on Skye’s face made him stop. Blush quickly rose to his cheeks again and he truly realized that she absolutely cared for him. It sounded like she was about to stop everything just to ensure that he was happy and comfortable as he began to heal from what happened. He figured that he couldn’t ask for anyone better. And she was the only one, other than Coulson, who had ever cared for him like this.

His face softened and a small smile began to pull at his lips, but he really wasn’t sure of what to say to her. Skye smiled back at him and she buried herself back into his firm chest, letting the gentle warmth of his body soothe and comfort her. She was sure that they had a bumpy road ahead of them.

Especially if that _other_ Grant decided to show himself. Skye still wasn’t sure about that.

“Ah, thank you.” Grant mumbled, pulling her out of her thoughts.

She blinked and looked up at him, “Huh?”

“I… I guess thanks for, uh, looking for me and such.” He looked away and grew quiet, “I…”

“Grant, it really isn’t a problem. You don’t have to thank me or anyone else. We were just doing what was right. We were helping a friend.”

Another slight smile pulled at Grant’s lips and he decided that he didn’t want to dwell on the subject any longer, “Can… Can we sleep?” he asked meekly. “I still don’t feel very good.”

“I guess, as long as Max wants to.”

Grant blinked and looked down to his feet, seeing Max lift his head up, “How about it, boy?” he asked hoarsely.

The shepherd barked, causing Grant to smile again.

“Yeah, sleep’s good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Grant's as good as he's gonna be. We learn some interesting things about his condition, but Skye vows that her and the team will do whatever it takes to keep him happy and comfortable. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	36. Can You Tell Me it's Over?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "There's a hate inside of me like some kind of master.  
> I tried to save you, but I can't find the answer.  
> I'm holding onto you, I'll never let go.  
> I need you with me as I enter the shadows."
> 
> Shadows - Red

“G-Grant, I don’t understand, what are you doing?”

Grant sneered and tightened his hold on Coulson’s throat, “Getting rid of old baggage.” he practically laughed. “I have no use for any of you anymore, so I’m getting rid of you before you can start to hold me down. Starting with you.”

“I just don’t get it. After all of this time, why would you do this now?” Coulson choked out, his feet flailing beneath him as Grant lifted him higher into the air. “What changed?”

“I’m tired of you all treating me like I’m fragile. Like I’ll break at any moment. That’s not me anymore. I’ve become someone much greater.” he chided. “And I’m offended that _this_ is what you wanted me to run away from. Why would you hold me back from such amazing power?”

Coulson’s eyes shrunk in fear as flames as blue as the sky started to crawl up Grant’s arm and towards his neck, “B-Because this isn’t you, Grant.” he stammered. “This is far from you. This is what Hydra wanted you to be. You’re not a monster like this. This is what _you_ always ran away from. We didn’t push you away from it. What happened to _us_?”

Grant’s face fell as Coulson’s face suddenly morphed into his own. His own pleading, fear-filled eyes stared back at him, “What have we become? This isn’t us; this was never supposed to be us.” he cried. Grant snarled and tightened his grip.

“Shut up! You’re not real! You’re not supposed to be here!” he growled, the flames licking at the other Grant’s skin. But the flames did no harm to him whatsoever. “You should _die_!”

The other Grant looked deep into his eyes, “No, you’re the one that’s not supposed to be here. You’re not real!” he exclaimed, breaking out of his grip and knocking him to the ground. He loomed over Grant, “This isn’t what we’re supposed to be.” he repeated. “Just what have we become?”

Grant’s stomach dropped as the other Grant loomed over him and reached for him, flames sparking from his hand, “N-No, you’re the one that holds me back. _I’m_ the real me. You’re the coward who has been my mask for years. You aren’t real.”

“No, you’re the monster.” The other Grant grabbed him by the face, “What are we?

Just what has happened to _me_?”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Grant woke up with a start, tears immediately starting to fall from his eyes. He sat up and brought his knees to his chest, violent sobs starting to crawl their way up from his chest. Max was the first to notice, he crawled from the foot of the bed and crawled his way into Grant’s lap.

The shepherd started to nose Grant’s chin to see if he was alright. Grant briefly look up and threw his arms around the black dog, his back heaving with each sob. The movement caused Skye to stir and as soon as she realized that Grant was crying, she was up and trying to figure out what was going on.

“Grant!” she exclaimed, gently touching his bare shoulder. “What happened?”

“B-Bad dream.” he stammered through broken sobs, not elaborating anymore. Skye knew not to prod since she figured that it was about what had happened a few days ago with Garrett. He had had a nightmare every night since.

He had been released from the hospital the day before and had been transferred to a SHIELD base since Coulson was helping other higher-ups deal with the Hydra situation. Skye had hoped that moving him to a more comfortable environment would help him, but it seemed as though it hadn’t helped one bit. The man had just been through far too much in the week and a half.

Then there was the subject of the other Grant that no one had bothered to touch since it had happened.

Skye refused to believe that something like that was wrong with Grant, even though it did make sense. It was completely plausible that Grant’s mind had created another personality to help him deal with trauma when his normal self couldn’t. She just hoped that it wouldn’t show its face again. She still couldn’t get the image of the other Grant’s chilling smile out of her head.

Taking a sharp breath, Skye reached out and gently took his arm, “Grant, it’s okay. It’s just a dream, remember?” she stated softly, trying not to startle him. She carefully pressed her lips to his knuckles, “Whatever happened isn’t real, Grant. It’s just your mind trying to mess with you. That’s all.”

Grant kept his face buried in the scruff of Max’s neck, “W-Won’t leave me ‘lone.” he hiccupped, the tears slowly subsiding. “Still there.”

Skye blinked, “What’s still there?” she asked quietly.

He looked up at her, tears still streaming down his face, “ _Him_. Won’t leave me alone. Won’t let me sleep.”

“Him…” she trailed off, quickly realizing her answer. Grant meant the other him. That’s what he had been having nightmares about the past few nights. She was surprised since he didn’t remember the other him consciously. But it did make sense since the other him was a fragment of his subconscious. It was like dreaming about people you’ve seen in real life, but you can’t remember them.

“Grant, he’s gone now. That… That _other_ you was just a reaction to what Garrett was doing to you. You were just trying to protect yourself.” she answered in a lie. She just wanted to reassure him.

He looked back up at her, “You heard my therapist. You heard her describe what’s wrong with me. I have a fucking second personality!” he snapped, the tears quickly turning to burning rage. Max barked and looked at him, startled by the sudden shout.

Grant quickly pushed Max off of him and slid out of bed, running his hands through his hair, “How the hell is that protecting myself?!” he exclaimed. “I could’ve killed you all! I saw the footage!”

Skye’s face fell as she slid out of the bed as well, “The footage?” she asked. “Who the hell would show you what happened?”

“I can do things myself, you know.” he stated coldly, keeping his back to her. “I didn’t care about you one bit. I could’ve killed you and I wouldn’t have had cared.”

“Because that wasn’t you!” Skye exclaimed, trying to keep her voice calm. “Whatever Hydra did to you… That’s the you they wanted you to be. And maybe it’s gone, maybe it was a one-time deal. But it wasn’t you. It was far from you.”

Grant spun around and glared at her, fire seeping from his eyes. Skye’s heart skipped a couple of beats when she swore that there were sparks of blue dancing in his eyes. “And what if it’s not gone?!” he snapped. “Stop acting like I’m so fucking broken! Because I hate it! You all act like I’m fragile! I’m not!”

Skye swallowed, realizing just what was happening, “Grant, please.” she practically whispered. “Watch yourself. Please.”

Grant’s shoulders suddenly slumped and he blinked, “Huh? What?” He looked around and frowned when his eyes landed on the fearful expression on Skye’s face. He ran his hands through his hair, “Shit.” he muttered, sitting back down on the edge of the bed. “Shit.”

Max slowly paddled his way across the bed and sat next to Grant. Grant placed a hand on Max’s head and began to pet him gently.

“Grant, you’ll be fine.” Skye said softly, sitting on the other side of Grant. “You’re going through a rough time. Don’t be so damn hard on yourself.”

He looked away, “It was that easy. I lost it in matter of seconds. I could’ve hurt you.” he muttered. “I,”

“It’s not your fault, Grant. I assure you of that. You’ve been through a lot in the past two weeks. Don’t expect yourself to be immediately better. You’ve got a lot to recover from.”

Grant took a sharp breath and looked back at her, his features softening as he saw the worry and concern in Skye’s eyes, “Yeah… But,”

“Grant, there are no buts here.” she stated, interrupting him. “Don’t blame yourself for any of this. It’s not your fault, okay?”

Grant nodded slowly and began to stare off across the room, not saying anything else. Skye figured that he would be quiet for the rest of the day. And it was early in the morning.

She gently took his hand and began to run her thumb over his knuckles, “You’ll be okay, Grant.” she whispered. “We’ll find a way through this.

We all will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I just had to throw a little bit more angst in there before I start to wrap things up. But I promise that I'll wrap 'em up soon. Maybe just a few more chapters left. Keep the comments and kudos coming!


	37. This is the Moment We Come Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "So reach to the sky, the life we have has come.  
> This night of our lives, we've only just begun.  
> Together we are bright as the stars.  
> We're a light that will never die.  
> This is the moment we come alive."
> 
> The Moment We Come Alive - Red

(About a Week Later)

“You really think that he’s going to be okay?”

Coulson pursed his lips as he quietly watched Grant and Skye, “Honestly? I have no damn idea. That  _ other  _ him hasn’t shown itself in over a week.” he answered, looking over to May. “Maybe it’ll never show back up. And that’s what I’m hoping for. Grant…. Grant deserves one hell of a break after all of this.”

May blinked, seeing Grant smile as Skye gently wrapped her arms around him on the couch. Despite everything, Grant had been smiling a good bit. May assumed that it was a good sign, but everyone had been trying their damndest to keep him happy and comfortable. It was usually Skye or Fitz’s job to keep him busy. They just didn’t want the other him coming back. 

“Do you think he’ll ever return to the field?”

Coulson shrugged, “I don’t really care either other way. I’m not going to force him to do something that he doesn’t want to do.” he stated. “I completely understand to why he’d want to retire. And hell, he’s been an elite SHIELD agent for over ten years. Perhaps once this Hydra mess is cleared up, I can talk to Fury about maybe promoting him to a position where he’s not in combat. Maybe a leadership position or a position at the Academy. Something a little bit calmer for him. That or complete retirement. I’ll probably ask him in another week or so to see what he wants to do. Again, I’m not going to pressure him to do what he doesn’t want to do.

If he wants to return to the field, then so be it.” he continued, stuffing his hands in his suit pockets. “He’ll just have to be on team missions for a while until we can trust him to be alone again. We’ve got to make sure that he’s himself. Or as close to it as he’ll ever be. I’m surprised that he’s even this good right now.”

May nodded, “It’s all Skye’s doing. If she wasn’t helping him out, then he’d be a complete and utter mess all over again. He’s got a huge support system now.” she explained, watching as Grant gently laid his head on Skye’s shoulder and closed his eyes. “He didn’t have that before. That’s why he’s better than we thought he would be. That and the medicine he’s on. But, Phil… Don’t expect him to be a hundred percent better anytime soon. He went through hell and back.”

“I know that. He’ll never be normal, even he knows that.” Coulson stated. “He’ll always have issues because of what Hydra did to him. They messed him up big time and the trauma with Garrett probably only made old wounds flare up. You know… You know Skye’s told me he wakes up in tears every night.” He paused slightly and sighed, “He hasn’t gotten much sleep this past week. It’s his PTSD. 

Yeah, I know I said he’s doing better than I thought he would be.” he continued. “But you can’t erase his trauma just like that. It’s gonna take time. But, perhaps, this is the beginning. Maybe he’ll start to get better from here on out. That’s why I wish that he’ll retire from combat. I know that he’s a soldier, but he doesn’t need anymore blood on his hands. He doesn’t need that kind of life anymore.”

“Then I think that you need to talk to him, Phil.” May said, looking over to him. “I know that you said you didn’t want to impose anything onto him that he doesn’t want to do, but I think this is where you need to step in. Before something even worse can happen to him. You’re his SO, this is where you need to act like it. Ward’s not quite there in the decision-making department. This is where you need to make it for him.”

Coulson nodded slowly, “Perhaps you’re right.” He paused, watching through the window as Skye kissed the top of Grant’s head and Max rested his head in Grant’s lap. He smiled slightly and turned from the window, “You’re right.” he said, walking away and gesturing for May to follow him. “I do need to step in. 

It’s time for Grant Ward to start a new life.”

 

* * *

  
  


(Five Years Later)

“Hi, Mommy.”

A smile pulled at Skye’s lips as she slowly sat herself up to see a pair of bright, brown eyes staring up at her, “Hey, Adian. When did you come in?” she asked, patting the spot on the couch right next to her. “Sit with me.”

Adian smiled and jumped right up on the couch, “We just got here.” he answered. “Daddy in the kitchen getting a ‘nack with Max and Capt’n.”

Skye raised an eyebrow, “He’s getting a snack? What kind of snack?”

“I think a ‘naner.” Adian shifted his eyes to his mother’s rounded belly, “Will baby like ‘naners?” he asked. “I like ‘naners.”

“Well, I don’t think she’ll be able to eat a banana for a while. She’ll drink mommy’s milk for a few months.” Skye answered with a slight laugh. “But probably.”

Adian narrowed his eyes, “Where does your milk come from?”

“That’s a secret.”

Skye looked over to see Grant coming over with a banana in his hand. She raised a quiet eyebrow as he sat down in the chair across from them as their two German shepherds sat at his feet.

Adian wrinkled his nose, “Why’s it a secret?” he asked, tilting his head.

“Because you can’t know until you’re older.” Grant pointed the banana at him. “And because I said so.”

The three year old pouted and crawled off the couch, heading over to his father and crawling into his lap, “Can have have some ‘naner?”

“What’s the magic word?”

“Pease.”

“Good.” Grant broke off a tiny piece of the banana and gave it to Adian, who in turn popped it in his mouth and began to chew happily. Grant rolled his eyes and looked over to Skye, “And how have you been?” he asked. “Baby alright?”

Skye smiled back and nodded, “Yeah, she’s just been kicking up a storm, though.” she answered. “She’s definitely your daughter. Won’t stay still.” She gently rubbed the swell of her belly, “What did you do today?”

Grant shrugged, “Not much. Only had one class to teach today and that was just SHIELD history.” he answered. “Today was the cadets’ break day. So no training. That meant combat and marksmanship classes were canceled.”

“And was Adian good?”

“Yeah. He sat in one of the front desks with his coloring books and Avengers toys.” Grant stated, wrapping an arm around the little boy. “Max kept him company.”

“So that means it’s time for someone’s nap, right?”

Adian squirmed in protest, “No, don’t wanna nap.” he pouted. “Not tired.”

“But it’s 3 in the afternoon and that means it’s naptime for little boys.” Grant tossed his banana peel to Skye and stood up with Adian in his arms. “I’ll be right back. Max, Captain, come with me.”

Skye rolled her eyes and laughed slightly as she watched her husband walk off with their son in his arms and their two shepherds on his heels. She smiled and gently caressed the swell of her belly again.

It was times like this when she had a hard time believing of where they were now. They had come so far in the past five years and she was especially proud of Grant. 

His ‘other side’ really hadn’t shown itself much, maybe only a couple of time when he had been severely stressed by things. He still wasn’t what you could call ‘better’, he would never be a hundred percent, but he was still far from where he had been after the incident with Garrett. Even after all that they had been through in the past five years. 

It had been hell clearing Hydra from SHIELD, but it had kept SHIELD from falling to Hydra’s grasp. So it had saved them a hell of a lot of trouble on that end, but not from other things.

A Hydra sector had kidnapped Skye about seven months after the Garrett incident to take her to her father, which only had gotten her in an Inhuman temple and she had gotten her own powers as a result. And even though Grant had retired from combat at that point, he didn’t hesitate in stepping in to bring her back. And since everyone was used to dealing with Grant, it wasn’t hard adjusting to a powered Skye as well. 

That had gotten them entangled with a war of sorts with Skye’s deranged mother, which ultimately ended in her death and the destruction of Skye’s home. It took a bit to make Skye not blame herself for that, though.

She and Grant had gotten married soon after, figuring that there was no use waiting and Adian came along about a year and a half later, which completely changed their lives for the better.

Grant took a year off from SHIELD to help Skye with her pregnancy and went back to be an instructor at the Operations side of the Academy since he no longer wanted to see real combat. Teaching cadets how to fight and shoot was good enough for him. He much more prefered the calm and quiet life, with Skye deciding just to be a hacker instead of a field agent. 

Yeah, Skye knew that they had it good now, especially with their daughter on the way.

She looked back up to see Grant coming into the room, “Did you get him into bed?” she asked as he sat down next to her and let her put her feet in his lap.

“Yeah. He’s snuggled in between two very large dogs.” he answered with a smirk. “Oh, and he wanted me to tell you that he wants the baby to be named Hulk.”

Skye’s face fell and she could barely contain her laughter, “Doesn’t he understand that he’s having a baby  _ sister _ , not a baby Avenger?”

He shrugged, “He’s only three. I don’t know what goes on in his mind. But he seemed pretty solid on his decision.”

“God, he’s definitely your son.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Let’s just say that you two aren’t quite so  _ bright  _ sometimes.” she answered. “You may be a genius-level super soldier, but you somehow lack common sense. He gets that from you. Hell, what doesn’t he  _ not  _ get from you?”

“Uh, my super soldier side. My identity disorder. My trauma. He gets all the  _ good  _ things from me. I… I guess.”

Skye rolled her eyes, “He’s the splitting image of you, Grant. There’s no argument there.” she stated. “Now hush, I want a nap as well.”

“Here? On the couch?”

“I feel like a fucking whale right now, Grant.So, I don’t feel like getting up and heading towards the bedroom. Now lay down so I can get on top of you.”

Grant blushed, taking it the completely wrong way. 

“Not like that, you idiot.”

Grant mumbled under his breath, letting Skye sit up so he could lay down. She carefully crawled on top of him and nuzzled into his chest.

“That’s more like it. Now sleep.” She threaded her fingers with his. “Love you.”

“Hmmm… Love you.

Yeah, you could say that Grant Ward had it good now. Everything that he had been through up to this point had been had been worth it, despite the utter hell that it all had been. 

Grant Ward truly had the entire world now.

 

 

**_End_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's the end! I decided to end it there because I didn't want to keep drawing it out when it really didn't need to be, but I hope that the ending was good enough! And I may or may not be planning a second part where Grant finally meets his family. So stay tuned for that. I hope that you enjoyed this crazy ride and please leave a comment or a kudos!

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's strange, but I hope you like! Find me on Tumblr @gears-of-ward!


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